The Blood of Olympus: Prophecy of the Sun
by TheSonOfApollo
Summary: AU: Alex Wang is just an ordinary Apollo camper. But he's terrible at EVERYTHING, including archery. Now because of a twist of fate, he has to join the Seven on the Argo II and help them save the world from Gaea. Why him? Will he and his special abilities be enough to tip the scales of war? Time is ticking, and everything will change after this epic battle of the immortals. R&R!
1. Chapter 1: Rising Up

**This is my very first fanfiction guys! So please no flaming or anything. R&R and I'll try and update as often as possible. I also went to let everybody know that Alex's POV will not be the only one, I will have POV's of the entire crew, so stay tuned ;) One last thing! This story will contain Hoh Spoilers and it will continue on into the Blood of Olympus, or my own version of how the series is gonna end hahaha.**

Alex's POV

Missing curfew was always considered a bad thing among teenagers. Missing curfew at Camp-Half-Blood was considered extremely dangerous and VERY idiotic. And as always, I was an idiot who was in constant danger.

I ran through the forest outside the borders surrounding Camp-Half-Blood late at night with the camp harpies chasing me and screeching "Camper out of bed! Camper out of bed!"

I was drenched in sweat as well as being more confused about anything, which is saying a lot for a sixteen year old kid.

Let me start from the beginning though.

My name is Alex Wang, and I am a Son of Apollo, god of the sun, music, poetry, arts, and yada yada.

I came to Camp-Half Blood after what the older campers seemed to regard as the "Second Titan War", which definitely explained all the catastrophes that had happened about a year ago.

But forget that. You would think being a Son of Apollo and a demigod would be extremely awesome like I used to think when I first got here, but it turns out I'm not just a lousy teenager, but a pretty lousy "hero" too, if that's what I could even call myself.

What I mean is that in almost every aspect of my father's domain, I'm actually REALLY lousy at all those too.

I can't sing or play any instruments.

I can't do poetry or anything art-related.

I EVEN STINK AT ARCHERY! Which is supposed to be a given skill-set being Apollo's kid.

I must have been a mistake, which is a lot to say considering I'm the product of both a god and an incredibly amazing woman.

The only cool thing I could do that my half-siblings can't perfectly do is have the power to heal others. My ability to heal was considered something rare, because of the fact I didn't have to cast any incantations or need ambrosia and nectar to heal people. According to Chiron, I had the power to siphon off the energy of the daylight and use that to heal many degrees of injuries, even pretty fatal ones too if I can heal them in time, but that uses A LOT of my energy.

Sure, it's cool to be able to heal people, but I felt like being the medic of the group meant I had to be protected by others in order to save others. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying I want to go out into the battle and fight because I love battle, blood, and glory! That's the Ares kids. I just want to be able to do something and not be helpless and watch all my friends die for me while I have to be sheltered and protected.

I wanted to be a lot like the famous Percy Jackson, savior of Camp Half-blood, Olympus, and the WORLD!

I'm getting off topic again, sorry, my ADHD does that to me a lot.

Any who, the reason I'm now running through a deadly forest filled with deadly monsters away from the safe comfort of my cabin and being chased by very hungry harpies was all because of my Dad.

I was training in the camp's stadium and its new state of the art combat system, with built-in fully functional automatons created by Leo and the other Hephaestus kids. The stadium was built to look kind of like a regular old stadium from Greece. It was about the size of a football-field and it was over eight stories high with seats all around to watch, kind of like the Coliseum. But, its appearances could also change. With a simple command automatons of different types of monsters could rise out of the ground, and depending on the difficulty setting you choose, the monsters would vary in both number and variety.

I was currently in the beginner mode and the monsters were just regular automatons with only one built in function to them: walk in circles.

I was borrowing a quiver and bow from my cabin's councilor, Will Solace, who was the only one of my siblings to actually treat me with hospitality despite my lack of skills.

I nocked the arrow back and aimed towards the automaton to my far right, since it was the one with a malfunctioning leg thus causing it to slowly spin around instead of walking in a circle.

Sweat dripped down my eyes and I focused directly at the automaton's head.

I released my grip and let the arrow fly…..completely away from the automaton's head.

"Jeez! Why can't I hit a stupid automaton in the stupid head?" I yelled. I sat down in defeat and brought my knees to my head. _Why'd you have to go and claim me as your kid if all I am is just an embarrassment to be your son, Dad? _I thought. I looked one last time at the bow and arrow and then out to the sky, where I saw the sun slowly dip down the horizon.

I got up sluggishly, picked up the bow and quiver, and started to walk out of the stadium.

_Well, there goes another wasted day trying to be a better hero. I should probably just quit while I'm at it _I thought bitterly.

"Oh, I wouldn't go so far as to quit after all those failures kid." Shouted a voice from far behind me.

Fear gripped my insides because no one should be in the stadium at this time of day. I immediately turned around and shot an arrow which landed a few feet away from a guy sitting high up in the stadium.

He looked about a college-age guy, no more than twenty-two but no younger than eighteen. He had short blond hair, and a bright smile. He had on some Ray Bans with headphones, a white shirt, and khaki pants with some Vans to match.

"Who are you?" I asked. Wary of the presence of this new guy. I knew every kid at this Camp since I was usually in the Big House helping to heal injuries that campers acquired during training or quests or even war, which was coming very soon with the Romans.

"Are you really asking me that question Alex?" laughed the Ray Bans dude. "Also, for futures sake, make sure you actually take the time to aim before you shoot, or else you're going to end up dead."

I felt my face get red. This guy was NOT making my day any better.

"I said, WHO ARE YOU?!" I yelled. I dropped the bow and arrow and picked up a sword lying a few feet away from me. It felt odd in my hands and unbalanced, but I figured I had a better chance with it then the bow and arrows. "I won't ask again!"

Suddenly, a flash had moved so fast my eyes couldn't comprehend the speed, and the Ray Bans dude was no longer up in the stadium.

"Isn't it obvious Alex?" sighed the Ray Bans dude from right behind me. I quickly turned around, dropping both my sword and my jaw. The Ray Bans dude suddenly had a bow with a quiver full of arrows strapped to his back. He smiled and boy was his smile bright, almost like the…sun.

"Apollo...Dad?" I gasped. I couldn't believe that this was the first time I was meeting my father and he wasn't what I expected at all. I had expected this all-powerful and wise-looking man to descend down from the heavens and finally guide me on the right path to being a hero.

"Yup, bet you couldn't recognize me though huh?" affirmed Apollo, he took off his Ray Bans to reveal a set of blue eyes that were the exact shade of the blue sky, which matched with his influence over the sun.

At first, I felt relief that my father had finally shown up, maybe that mean he could finally give me answers. At the same time though I felt anger bubbling down inside of me slowly rising. My father hadn't blessed me with any of his amazing abilities and because of that I was the outcast of the Apollo cabin.

"After ALL this time, you come and meet with me NOW?!" I growled. My fists were balled together and the skin over my knuckles became white as I gripped my hand tightly, barely containing all my pent up feelings of disappointment and abandonment issues.

The grin on Apollo's face slowly faded as he looked away, was there a hint of shame in his expression? I couldn't tell.

"I'm sorry Alex, but you know Olympus has been closed down by Zeus and all contact from us has been forbidden." explained Apollo, he rose his hands in a sign of surrender and his face continued looking away.

"I came to this Camp WAY before Olympus shut down!" I argued. "All my other brothers and sisters saw you but I've never even met you until now?! And during the time of war and the end of the world to boot!"

It felt nice to yell at my father, being able to let out all these past months stress and pain from all that was going on.

"That's not completely true!" exclaimed Apollo. He turned toward me with a look of shame on his face. I didn't think gods ever felt shame in their entire, well, immortal lives. "I visited you once when you were born at the hospital. Trust me, I wish I could have been there more for you and your mom-"

"Don't you dare bring her up!" I interrupted. How could he bring up Mom after all this time? After all that has happened. "You left us, end of story."

If gods could show pain and guilt, Apollo sure did show a lot of it.

"Look, I can't change what happened and for that I'm sorry Alex, but I have come down here in order to tell you something very important." mumbled Apollo, the look on Apollo's face changed almost instantly from someone who held much guilt and pain to one held with determination.

"Wh-what is it?" I replied. The anger in me had left me as fast as it came.

I couldn't really stay mad at my dad because deep down, I was still just glad he was at least here now. He was a god and had many duties, so I could understand, but I still felt some resentment in the idea that he could have at least tried to visit me before.

"It's about the current great prophecy, you know about it right?" Apollo asked.

"Of course, how could I not have heard about the prophecy? That's all anybody here has been talking about." I answered.

I raised my eyebrow in confusion because I didn't know what my father was getting at, as most gods were confusing.

"Well, your prayers have been answered. You must go to Athens and assist the crew of the Argo II in their battles against the giants and prevent Gaea from rising." declared Apollo.

I stood there for about a good five seconds registering my Dad's words.

"What?" I blurted. Out of nowhere, I was suddenly expected to go on a quest that determined the fate of the world.

"I-I don't understand. Why am I supposed to go? I haven't even been here for a year, and suddenly I'm expected to go on a legendary quest?" I questioned

"I know this is sudd-" confessed Apollo.

"Of course this is sudden! This makes no sense. I'm literally a useless hero, all I can do is heal and I can't even fight! I'd just be a liability no matter what I did!" I interjected. I looked down with shame in my expression this time, because I knew all I said was true.

"Why me? There are so many more other campers who are more capable. Your other son Will! He's a war veteran, he'd be the obvious choice when it came to a child of Apollo! It can't be me because I can't do anything…" I muttered.

"That is not true Alex!" shouted Apollo. My father then placed his hand on my shoulder. And it felt both so warm and comfortable, a lot like a parent's touch would be. "The answers may not be clear to you now, but you will find them on this quest."

It felt nice to know my father had confidence in me, but it didn't get rid of this other feeling I harbored inside of myself: fear.

"I-I'm scared Dad… I've never had so much responsibility thrust onto me, what if I fail?" I admitted.

"Even the greatest heroes get scared Alex, but fear is a good thing too." Apollo assured. "Fear isn't something evil, those great heroes use it to learn their weaknesses and become even stronger-"

He then withdrew his hand from my shoulder and looked me right in the eyes, with a look of pride in me.

"-As well as gentle, which is why you are the one to go on this quest, because you are the most gentle child here" Apollo answered.

It took me three seconds to register his words again, and then tears started to fall from my eyes. I had quickly wiped them away, being embarrassed for crying in front of my Dad. Instead of looking like a regular teenager, Apollo actually started to look like a father to me. Fear in my gut had been replaced by a fierce sense of pride in my father's words.

"OK…..then what do I do?" I wondered.

I had never been on a quest before, so I wasn't familiar with the process.

Apollo beamed with pride once more.

"Well, it's time we both visit my favorite person in this whole world!" Apollo proclaimed.

"Who's that?" I questioned

"Why, the Oracle of Delphi of course! Or as you know her, Rachel!" Apollo pointed out.

Apollo then touched my forehead and there was a bright flash. Suddenly we were on a trail in the forest of Camp Half-Blood where we played Capture the Flag. I looked around and I saw up ahead a small mountain where the trail went up to a mysterious looking cave. It looked like a regular old cave, but from within I could sense the presence of something ancient dwelling.

"Well Alex, now you must go up the trail and be issued your prophecy." Apollo advised "I'll wait here until you get back."

I then started to walk up the trail and I took one last look at my father before I started back up the hill. _Well, I guess I got what I wanted, now let's hope I don't die on this quest_ I thought.

Time to start my quest to help save the world.


	2. Chapter 2: The Prophecy

**Disclaimer: This book series belongs to Rick Riordan. Remember guys, Rate and Review for me ;D I'd also like some follows and favorites too hahaha. If you guys like the story, I will be updating a lot since it is thanksgiving break for me this week. Don't worry, just a few more chapters until we get the POV's of the Argo II crew. Let me know what myths you want the crew to experience as well as any other suggestions. I do have an overall plot planned out, but I'm open to anything you guys suggest hahaha. Sorry for the long author's note, so enjoy! ;)**

Alex's POV

I continued to follow the trail until I had reached the base of the cave where our Oracle was said to reside in when she comes to Camp during the summer. For a 16 year old girl, her taste in décor was really weird. The entrance of the cave had both stalagmites and stalactites in the very front, making the entrance to the Oracle's cave look almost identical to the mouth of a snake. The way it looked made it look more terrifying.

Slowly and carefully, I made my way into the cave and came across these purple curtains blocking the rest of the way inside. I braced myself because this was the first time I would have been issued a prophecy. I had only seen what it looked like to be issued a prophecy once during the time Jason first arrived to camp. It was a pretty scary experience, and I was surrounded by dozens of demi-gods. I was about to go through that all by myself this time. I took a deep breath and exhaled. I then opened the curtains and walked into absolute darkness.

Immediately I wanted to turn back, but I couldn't find the curtains anymore which was really weird because they were literally right behind me. I took another couple of steps forward in the dark, trying to make sure I didn't accidentally fall down and hit my head. That would be entirely lame for me to be found knocked unconscious in the Oracle's cave.

"He-hello? Anybody here?" I murmured. It was silent for about 10 seconds. I decided to slowly back out because of the creepy silence and wanted to get the heck out of there when I literally bumped into somebody and fell face forward. Classic, I know.

"Ouch! Jeez, I told Apollo that the whole _dark cave scene_ was totally cliché and that somebody could get hurt walking around in here." growled the mysterious voice. I then heard a double-clap and suddenly industrial lights turned on. The inside of the cave was _totally_ decked out with a nice living-room with a flat-screen TV, a kitchen that came with a dining table, and a hallway that leaded into what I would think would be the bedroom and bathroom. Against the walls of the cave were plenty pieces of artwork which portrayed certain battle scenes from the Second Titan War like Clarisse slaying the Drakon, the defeat of the Titan Hyperion at the hands of Percy and the satyrs, and etc. Though there were clothes, art supplies, and unfinished canvases lying around so the place also looked pretty messy. All in all, I reminded myself to take back everything I said about Rachel not having a sense of decoration.

"Alex, is that you?" inquired the voice from behind me. I turned around and found myself looking at a cute girl with frizzy and long red hair. She had green eyes and her face was covered with freckles. She was wearing an "Art Rocks" t-shirt and blue jeans that had paint and holes on them which looked like she poked her pants with a fork for fun. It was Rachel. "What are you doing here?"

"Oh, um, I came here on orders of Apollo who said I was supposed to get a prophecy about myself…" I stammered. This was the first time I actually ever talked to Rachel and those green eyes of hers were kind of intimidating, which caused me to look away from her. Rachel narrowed her eyes at me and put her hands on her hips.

"You're supposed to get a prophecy? Now of all times? Why is that?" inquired Rachel.

"Apollo said I had a part to play in the great prophecy, and that I needed to assist the Seven with their battle in Athens." I answered. Her gaze seemed to narrow even more when suddenly out of nowhere her face seemed to get pale and the intensity of her eyes had started to fade.

"So that's what it all means. It's all starting to make sense…" whispered Rachel. She ran past me with that same expression and into the hallway, leaving me in a confused state. "Stay right there! I'll be back!" Rachel yelled.

_Why did she give me that look as if she realized something terrifying?_ I wondered. I decided to shake away the thought.

I slowly got up and walked further into the living room when I came across a full body length mirror to the side of the living room by an un-finished canvas drawing of what looked like two people kissing, though it was unfinished so I couldn't tell who the two were, but it was by a waterfall with the moon shining above the two people. I then looked at the mirror and noticed how much I had changed during my time here at Camp Half-Blood.

I was wearing the standard Camp Half-Blood t-shirt with black jeans and my Vans. I had black hair that was recently cut to be shorter since my longer hair was getting kind of distracting. I had become taller than I was last year which was a good thing because of the fact that most Asian guys were kind of short. I had also become tanner since I trained in the sun all day, which got rid of my originally pale skin. The thing that surprised me the most was the way my eyes had changed. I don't mean my brown eye color. In my eyes, I could see a sense of weariness as well as sadness. Like I said, a lot has changed this past year, so I guess that explains why.

I tore my gaze away from the mirror when I heard Rachel come back from her bedroom and was walking back toward me. She was carrying a sketchpad with her and looked kind of nervous. She walked towards her green couch and sat down, sketch book in hand, gesturing for me to sit right next to her. I walked to the couch and then plopped myself down right next to her.

"It's all starting to make more sense Alex! This explains my recent dreams that I've been having." exclaimed Rachel.

She started to flip through her sketchbook which showed drawings of a familiar-looking kid doing lots of things from fighting monsters, to laughing and hanging out with other familiar-looking kids as well as new ones too. She then handed me the sketchbook. It took me a few seconds to realize that the familiar-looking kid that took up most of these drawings was me.

"I-is that me? Why have you been drawing pictures of me?" I gasped. It was all starting to become even more confusing and I didn't know what to think of this situation anymore.

"That's the point Alex!" emphasized Rachel. She let out a huff of annoyance as if she was getting irritated with the fact that she didn't understand any of this as much as I did.

"I don't know why, but lately these visions and dreams I've been having always seemed to show one thing: you in the homeland of Olympus fighting with the Seven." continued Rachel.

"So, I guess Apollo was right." I muttered. I closed Rachel's sketchbook and set it down on the coffee table. "I really do have a part to play in this quest."

"Yes, I do believe you hold a vital role in this quest." Rachel confirmed. She then took my hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. "It doesn't make a lot of sense with everything that's happened these past few months, but I'm sure the answers will co-"

Rachel then doubled-over like someone punched her.

"Rachel! Are you okay?!" I yelled. I grabbed her by the shoulders and tried to get a good look at her face. She then jolted up and stared at me with terrifying and glowing green eyes while a green mist started to form around us. _This is not good!_ I thought. Rachel then whispered in a voice that sounded ancient and very snake-like.

_You will journey to the homeland, Child of Sun_

_The world will rise, the end shall come_

_Heroes will join and together they fight_

_Storm and Fire, the two must unite_

_The final battle, you will embark_

_And save a love, from the endless dark_

Rachel then fell towards me and her body went limp and pale. I sat there stunned with the Oracle of Delphi lying on top of me. Normally I'd be pretty stoked if I was holding a girl in my arms, but I don't think it's really the same thing when said girl has passed out.

I quickly got up and set Rachel down on the couch. _I have to wake her up somehow_. I put one hand on her forehead and started to concentrate.

The rays of light from the room started to bend towards me and my hand that was on her forehead started to glow with a bright light. After a few seconds, the light on my hand died and Rachel got up with a start.

"Wh-what happened?" Rachel cried. She no longer looked pale, but her green eyes were still filled with shock.

"You gave me my prophecy" I mumbled. Since the sun had gone down, I had to use my own energy to take the energy from the industrial lights on the ceiling in order to heal Rachel. Doing so tires me out a bit, but I had gotten used to it so much that all it did now was just make me a bit tired. "I suppose you don't remember what you said?"

"No, not really. Every time I give a prophecy I tend to pass out and forget what happens." Rachel pointed out. "So, if you may, can you please fill me in?"

I told Rachel the prophecy and her eyebrows seemed to knit together like this news was starting to trouble her. _I guess it would worry anybody when part of the prophecy mentions that the end of the world will be coming no matter what. This really puts a damper on my summer._

"Okay, well, first of all, you're going to have to go to Epirus in Greece to the temple known as the House of Hades." Rachel stated.

"Why would I have to go there? Isn't the final battle in Athens?" I questioned.

"Because that's where the Doors of Death are located, duh." Rachel retorted. This girl is pretty darn spunky. "Plus, that's where the others are meeting to get Annabeth and Percy out of Tartarus while also closing the Doors of Death."

Wait, what!?" I blurted. "Those two are in Tartarus?! How'd this all happen?"

"It was during their quest to retrieve the Athena Parthenos." Rachel explained. "Arachne pulled Annabeth into Tartarus as she fell into this huge hole and Percy went in with her. So that's why the others are going to Epirus, to save them and close the Doors."

As Rachel continued to explain the situation, the news surprised me as well as worried me. _How the heck are they gonna make it through Tartarus?_ I didn't have the time though to keep worrying about them. I had to do my part and hoped I could get there in time to help them. They would most likely be very injured if they made it out alive and it'd be up to me to heal them.

"Well, I guess now that you gave me my prophecy and the information I need, I should get going." I sighed

I got up and started towards the entrance of the cave. _Now all I gotta do is just catch up with the Seven...in Epirus…crossing deadly waters… by myself. Oh yeah, this was gonna be easy._

"Wait!" ordered Rachel. I stopped in my tracks and turned around, waiting to hear what she was going to say. Instead, I felt Rachel give me a hug while burying her face against my chest.

"Make sure you help them anyway you can OK? They're gonna need all the help they can get." pleaded Rachel.

"O-ok. I promise" I assured. I wasn't so sure I could keep that promise. I wasn't much of a warrior and I wasn't too sure I could get there on my own without dying in the process. But I felt like I had to try and keep hope for the both of us by making this promise.

"Good luck and be careful." Rachel warned. She then gave me a kiss on the cheek, let go of me, and walked away back to her room. It wasn't a romantic kiss or anything, but just the kind that a friend would give another when saying goodbye. Though I hoped that goodbye was temporary.

I walked out of the cave and down the trail to the same spot where I had left my Dad. I came up to him while he seemed to be gazing wistfully at the sun during the sunset. He seemed to have not moved an inch from when I last left him.

"Dad, I got my prophecy from Rachel." I reported. His gaze towards the sun was instantly broken and he seemed to remember that I was there.

"Oh, alright then! I guess your quest begins." Apollo decided. "First things first, I need to give you something. It should answer certain questions you've always been wondering."

Apollo then took out of his pocket a ball-point pen and handed it to me. He looked at the pen as if it was a rare artifact and need to be treated as delicately as possible.

"Um, what am I supposed to do with this? Write a poem and hope it puts Gaea to sleep?" I joked. Apollo couldn't be serious about giving me a pen for a deadly quest.

"Click it." Apollo pointed out. He said it as if would make sense.

I then clicked the pen and it suddenly turned into a bronze sword. The sword was balanced in my hand and it felt like I had been wielding it all my life.

"I-is this Riptide?" I asked. I had seen Percy wield that sword many times when he taught my cabin how to sword fight for our daily activities during the summer. That was before he disappeared mysteriously though.

"No, it isn't Percy's sword. Though I guess you could say it is similar, but at the same time it's the opposite." Apollo mentioned.

I took a better look at the sword and did see there was a difference in it from Percy's Riptide. Although the swords look almost exactly alike, on the hilt of the sword, the name was different. It read _Afixisiílios._

"Rising Sun" I translated. "Why is it named that?"

"Because, how Riptide was forged in the seas and it draws its power from the water, this sword was forged in the flames of the sun and draws its power from the sun itself." Apollo presented. "This sword was given to me by Helios, and he said that there would come a day when it would be wielded by one of my children, and that day is today."

I looked at the blade in amazement and started to feel the raw power it took to forge a sword like this. _Was this how Percy felt when he wielded Riptide? Speaking of that, how do I sheath this thing since I don't have a cap?_ Almost automatically when I thought of the word _sheath_, the sword turned back into an ordinary pen.

"Whoa, that is cool." I stated. I put the pen into my pocket and I could feel the warmth of the sun from it.

"This is why you always sucked at archery Alex, because you were destined to wield this sword." Apollo explained.

"That doesn't explain why I can't do any of the other things my siblings can do like, sing, play an instrument, write poe-" I ranted.

"Because you have other abilities besides your healing one that none of your other siblings have." Apollo interrupted. He put his hand on my forehead and a bright flash came. "And now they will have awoken, in time for this quest too."

I didn't feel any different. In fact, I still felt the same.

"Um, I'm gonna guess you won't be telling me what any of these abilities are, huh?" I asked.

"Nope, I can't assist you any further than I already have. I was only given a small amount of time to let you know what you needed to know, give you the sword, and awaken your powers." Apollo answered. "Here, I brought you your backpack filled with some spare clothes, food, and drachmas as well as some regular mortal money."

Apollo handed me my backpack and I started to look over my provisions when a thought occurred to me.

"Hey Dad, how am I supposed to get all the way to Epirus? There isn't enough money in here for a plane ticket." I wondered. Was he gonna give me a lift all the way to Epirus? I could imagine me flying with my Dad in his sun chariot, teaching me how to drive. The idea almost made me laugh.

"Nope, I gotta go actually right now, though I will tell you this. Your ride is going to be in a clearing down that way." Apollo responded. He pointed to my left, towards the direction where I would have to leave camp borders and cross through the Roman's encampment site. "Also, you might want to hurry, because curfew just passed and those camp harpies are coming after you."

As soon as he said that, I could hear the harpies from a distance shouting and coming closer.

"One last thing Alex. Be careful." Apollo warned. He gave me one last look of concern, but at the same time, an expression of sadness. I closed my eyes as he achieved his true form and disappeared, leaving me alone in the dark with harpies on my trail.

I stood there for a bit taking in everything that had happened today, only to be shocked back into reality by the increasing volume of the harpies' cries.

I strapped on my backpack and ran straight into the darkness, my father's and Rachel's warnings echoing in my head.

_Be Careful_


	3. Chapter 3: Hitching A Ride

**Disclaimer: PJO and HoO belong to Rick Riordan. So, this is the last chapter towards the introduction of Alex. I will now start doing the POV's of the Argo II crew but will continue Alex's POV as well throughout the story. Please Rate and Review, as well as favorite and follow! It'll be gladly appreciated and make me feel REALLY happy! :D **

Alex's POV

I wish I could say that I decided to stand my ground instead of running. I wish I could say I took out Rising Sun and decided to fight. I wish I could say that I defeated the evil harpies and finally became a real hero, ready to take on whatever Gaea and the Giants could throw at me. Too bad that would be lying.

What I really did was run for my life and think _AGGGGHHHHH! DON'T EAT ME!_

Manly, I know right?

Now, it wasn't really the fact that I was scared of the harpies because they were super terrifying. I had faced worst monsters during our Capture the Flag games as well as the Camp's Monster Fighting class. It was more of the fact that I got along well with the harpies whenever I was assigned dish duty by my fellow cabin mates (which was a lot). I didn't want to kill them because they were nice to me and I knew they were just doing their job. So I decided the best thing for the both of us was to just outrun them and not get caught.

I knew once they reached the camp borders they would not be able to pursue me any further due to its magical properties. _Let's just hope I get there in time_. I could still hear the harpies in the far distance, so I knew I had a good chance of making it.

As I passed Thalia's pine tree I knew got rid of the harpies, but now I would have to go through the rest of the forest where I wouldn't be protected by a magical barrier and have to face deadlier monsters. I was taught that demi-gods were known to put out a scent that monsters could track from miles away, so I would have to be prepared for an ambush at any point.

_Oh boy, there's no turning back now._ I stopped by a nearby tree and propped myself up by it. I was tired and dirty with sweat from all the running I had done.

It had been over ten months since I had been here at Camp Half-Blood, and I barely realized that I had never left the Camp during that time. It felt nice to be outside of the Camp and for a few seconds, everything felt like it was normal again. I remembered a time when it was just me and my Mom, together and happy. Before all this monsters and gods business had started and when I didn't have to be afraid for my life. When all I had to worry about was girls and school, not wondering if this day was going to be my last.

I snapped back to reality, remembering the danger of the situation I was currently in. I was now out in the very real and very dangerous world. I was probably gonna get attacked by some monsters if I stayed any longer.

I took Rising Sun out of my pocket and clicked it. It then changed forms into a three-foot long blade. It felt natural in my hand as well as balanced. I could feel warmth radiating from the sword, which was a good thing since it was cold outside. I didn't have much experience fighting with a sword, so I hoped I wouldn't have to run into any monsters for a while. I knew I would have to rely on what I remembered Percy teaching me and my cabin about the techniques of sword fighting, which was a lot to remember being the fact that he was one of the greatest swordsman I knew.

I held up Rising Sun and saw it also radiated a light like how a Celestial Bronze blade would. I started to slowly walk towards the direction my father pointed out for me where I would find a clearing and some sort of ride. My dad wasn't very specific about what I would find, as most gods were very annoying when it came to hints, but I knew I would have to trust my father.

I kept walking in the same direction for what seemed like a few hours. So far, nothing had happened except for the occasional noises in the background which really turned out to be some rabbits or deer. Even with the quiet peace around me, I still didn't let my guard down. I felt like there was something out there watching me. _It's been too quiet. Why hasn't something hap-_

Almost immediately after that thought, I heard the loud crack of a branch from a tree behind me and heard a loud _FWOOSH_ sound as if something was thrown right at me. I jumped and took cover behind a tree right next to me. I looked back to the spot I was originally standing in to see a few spikes impaled into the forest floor.

"Who's out there?" I shouted. Not a smart move to give away your location, but as most monsters were pretty good at hunting during night, I felt it didn't make much of a difference. "I'm warning you, I've got a weapon and I'll destroy you if you come any closer."

"Oh, you'll destroy me? That is quite big talk coming from someone who's cowering behind a tree" spoke the mysterious voice. The only thing I could pick up from that voice is some terrible French accent. "I shall kill you and then eat you, upon the orders of Gaea."

_Gaea? Does that mean she's already trying to get rid of me?_ I realized my hands were shaking. I knew I had to calm down and try to figure out a way to kill this monster. I figured this monster was a few hundred feet away from me, perched in a tree somewhere waiting for me to move.

Suddenly, I heard another branch break, but this time in front of me. I looked up to see a man's face with two different colored eyes; brown and blue, a lion's body, and a huge scorpion's tail flying right at me. I immediately slashed upward and barely grazed the side of the monster's face. It wasn't a fatal blow, but enough to knock it off course to my side. I then ran as fast as I could in the direction towards the clearing my father supposedly said that had a ride for me to Greece.

_A manticore! Oh no! They never taught us how to fight these in Camp Half-Blood._ I kept running and could hear a roar of anger from behind me.

"NO ONE BESTS DR. THORN! I SHALL CATCH YOU AND FEAST ON YOUR BLOOD AND FLESH!"

I took note of that, and high-tailed it out of there.

I kept running, focusing only on what was ahead of me. Behind me I could hear Dr. Thorn chasing after me by jumping through the trees. I knew it was only a matter of time before he caught up to me and I knew I would be dead.

Far ahead, I could see a tiny light in the distance. _The clearing! Maybe if I get there I'll be able to fight on better ground then this forest._ I knew with the darkness and the trees Dr. Thorn had the advantage, but if I could get to a well-lit area, I might have a chance.

_It's so far away! AGH! I just gotta keep running!_ I could also hear Dr. Thorn closing in on me. I kept my focus on that light and knew it would be the last thing I ever saw as I heard him take one final leap with his tail ready to deal the final blow. I then blinked and suddenly a bright flash had happened.

Suddenly I wasn't in the forest anymore but a clearing with a girl standing right in front of me. I was still sprinting and I couldn't stop myself from running into this girl full force. We rolled around and came to a stop with her on top of me. I was dazed as well as tired and moved my hand upward and I touched something…_soft_. As everything came into focus, I realized the soft thing I was touching was this girl's…chest. A moment later, I heard a loud shriek and felt a hard slap across my face.

"Pervert! How dare you touch me!" shouted the girl. "Who are you?"

I got up and started to rub my cheek from where she slapped me. I looked at her and found myself blushing. She was sitting on her knees with her hands over her chest. She had this dark long hair in a braid down to her side. She also had dark obsidian-colored eyes that seemed to stare at me with a look of rage. Most people would have probably been intimidated by her regal gaze, but I was more intrigued with it because of how, well, attractive it made her look. She was wearing a purple t-shirt and some jeans with a dagger to her side. There was a pile of armor and a purple cloak next to her. _Wow, she looks cute when she's angry. I better tell her who I am or else she might skewer me with that dagger._

I sat up and put Rising Sun down by my side since she seemed to stare at the blade warily. I began my introduction.

"Um, well, my name is Alex Wang, Son of Apollo." I know it's not a good idea to reveal who you are to random strangers, but I felt that this girl was one of the good guys and that I could possibly trust her.

I then remembered about my father telling me that I would find a ride here in this clearing. I looked around and saw that there was a camp fire, which explained the light. I also noticed that by the camp fire was a small tent and a brown pegasus eating some grass by it.

"Are you supposed to be my ride to Greece?"

She slowly lowered her hands, but her gaze was still as hard as ever.

"What do you mean by _ride_ to Greece? Explain yourself further." She got up and pulled out her dagger as if I was a dangerous enemy, which was kind of understandable being that I kind of showed up out of nowhere.

Suddenly, a huge shadow leaped out of the forest and landed a hundred feet away from me and the girl. It was Dr. Thorn, and he looked very angry too.

"THERE YOU ARE SUN SPAWN!" He perched himself on all fours and prepared to strike. "I SEE YOU'VE ALSO PREPARED ME ANOTHER MEAL! NOW I SHALL DEVOUR YOU BOTH!"

I got up right away, Rising Sun in my hand, and put myself in between the girl and Dr. Thorn.

"Don't worry, I got this. I won't let him hurt y-" Out of nowhere, the girl ran past me towards him with her dagger ready to fight the manticore with no hesitation.

I was shocked to see how well she dodged and danced around his scorpion's tail every time he tried to strike her. She would dodge one strike and slash or stab Dr. Thorn in some random spot. Unfortunately, it didn't seem to do much as he was only getting angrier.

"AGH! YOUR DEATH SHALL BE PAINFUL!" Dr. Thorn bellowed.

"Not as painful as yours will be monster!" cried the girl. She then stabbed her dagger all the way to the hilt into Dr. Thorn's shoulder. He yelled in fury and smacked her with his scorpion's tail, sending her flying about thirty feet. I ran and caught her just as she landed. She looked at me with fear and tried to squirm her way out of my arms when she suddenly gasped and clutched her gut.

"B-broke some of my ribs" She coughed.

"Stay here. I'll handle this" I ordered. I laid her down gently as she spit out blood. She gave me one last look of doubt and passed out. _That hit did a lot more damage than she's letting on. I have to stop Dr. Thorn or else._

As I turned around I saw him lunge straight at us, covering the distance between us in the matter of seconds. I didn't have time to react as I felt his tail piece through my stomach. I had moved in time to the point where he only stabbed my left kidney, but I fell limply against his tail feeling the poison entering my body.

Dr. Thorn laughed as I was slowly dying with his tail in my gut. He leaned into me and started to gloat.

"Looks like the big _hero_ failed in his quest." He sneered. "Now I shall devour you and this girl"

"I-I didn't f-fail yet." I muttered. I used the last of my strength to bring Rising Sun upward straight through the manticore's jaw and out his head. Dr. Thorn then started to disappear into golden dust, leaving me behind poisoned and dying.

I fell down onto my knees and started to make my way to the girl. _Ugh, I need…to hurry… I can still help her._

I put one hand on her ribs, and held the other hand towards the camp fire. _I hope this works._

I started to concentrate despite the poison coursing through my veins, slowly killing me. The light around the campfire started to dim and grow brighter in my direction. I could feel the energy of the light entering my body and I expended that energy towards the girl's injuries. There was a bright glow on my hands for a few seconds, and then it stopped.

The girl got up with a start, clutching and feeling around her ribs. She had a look of shock in her eyes and then noticed that I had a big gaping hole in my gut.

"Oh my gods! You're hurt! Hold on, I have some ambrosia and nectar in my tent, I'll be b-"

I grabbed her hand to stop her from leaving and looked her in the eyes.

"N-no, just b-bring me closer to t-the camp…fire." I was starting to lose consciousness. I needed to hurry or else I was gonna die. "T-trust me."

She nodded in confusion and dragged me towards the camp fire. I could feel myself slowly fading in and out. I felt light-headed, not knowing if that was from the poison or the loss of blood. She propped me by the camp fire. I then put one hand on the hole, and held the other to the camp fire. _This is gonna use A LOT of energy, gotta focus._

I concentrated and focused as hard as I could, absorbing the energy of light from the camp fire. Everything started to dim again, but this time even more rapidly. The bright glow came again on my hand and I could feel it closing the hole and healing the poison. Then the camp fire went out and everything went dark.

(Line Break)

I woke up to find it was daybreak, and that the girl was packing up everything and securing it all onto her pegasus. I sat up and felt around my stomach to feel that the hole was gone and I didn't feel any of the poison anymore in my body. As the sun made it completely over the horizon and its rays shone down on the clearing, I felt so much better and a lot stronger too. _I guess it makes sense to feel stronger as a child of Apollo when you feel the sun's beams on you._

"I see you've woken up" I then turned to look at the girl who was finished packing and wearing a full set of armor with her purple cloak wrapped around her. She looked fierce and strong. I got up and walked towards her. "Thank you again for, doing whatever it was that you did last night."

"Oh, I just healed you. You know, son of the god of medicine, kind of comes with the territory" I assured.

She let out a small laugh which sounded wonderful to me, but she seemed to realize this and immediately went back to talking to me in a formal matter.

"So, like I said last night. I want to know what you meant by saying I was your ride to Greece." She looked at me again, trying to size me up as if she was trying to figure out my worth.

"Well, I'm on a quest. A quest to help the Argo II crew with the final battle against Gaea." I announced. "My father Apollo told me I would find the way to get there if I came to this clearing, and now I'm here to find that you have a pegasus."

She narrowed her eyes and seemed to be registering whether or not if my words were true.

"Are you from Camp Half-Blood?" She asked.

"Yes, I am, and I assume you're from Camp Jupiter, what with your purple shirt and gold dagger." I answered.

After a long pause, the girl responded to me. "Yes, I am from Camp Jupiter."

I was confused as to why this Roman was so far away from their base camp. So I just decided since we were both in a deadly battle against a monster together and I healed her injuries, I could toss formalities out the window.

"So, enough beating around the bush, what are you doing all the way out here by yourself? And who are you?" I asked bluntly. I wanted answers and I wanted them now.

She stared at me for a few seconds, hesitating on whether or not to answer me.

"My name is Reyna, and I'm also going to Greece." She sighed. I was caught off guard by her answer. _Why is she going to Greece? Isn't her camp trying to destroy my camp?_

"And to answer your question as to what I'm doing all the way out here, I was planning on resting for one night before I departed because I simply wanted to be away from all of it."

It took me a bit to realize that she was talking about the war between the camps. I felt a little better to know that some of the Roman campers didn't want this war just as much as we did.

"I see. Well, if you're going to Greece and I'm going to Greece, we should team up and go together." I proposed. "That way, our chances of surviving and getting there in one piece is a lot better."

She looked at me apprehensively.

"What makes you think I'm willing to go all the way to Greece with you? I can take care of myself." Reyna argued.

"I'm not saying you can't" I admitted. I knew she could take care of herself. It was more because I knew I needed the help, and seeing how well she could fight, I could pick up a few things from her. "I'm just saying, we're both trying to stop the end of the world, so why not work together. It's for both our best interests."

Reyna stared at me again for a few more seconds before she crossed her arms and sighed.

"Alright then, I guess I will allow this temporary partnership between the two of us, if it will increase our chances of success."

I could feel my heart racing as she said that. I was happy because that finally meant I could now begin my quest and help the others in Greece. But, I was also kind of happy for another reason that I couldn't really figure out.

I walked over to get my stuff when a question popped into my head. I grabbed my backpack and walked over to Reyna who was already mounted on her pegasus.

"So, Reyna, why are you going to Greece in the first place?" I asked.

"To retrieve the Athena Parthenos and bring it back here, in hopes that it will prevent war between our camps and heal the rivalry we've held all these years." Reyna replied. "I was asked to do this because of a message from Annabeth, and I will honor that promise."

I was shocked to hear her answer. I was wondering what would be the consequences for a Roman camper to desert their camp in time of war to just get some statue.

"What did your superior officers say when you told them you were going on this quest?" I wondered if she was going to be punished harshly. I remember in middle school learning about Rome and its empire. I knew they didn't take to traitors kindly.

"I AM Camp Jupiter's superior officer. I am Praetor of the Twelfth Legion Fulminata!" Reyna declared. She had a look of regal power and grace as she said those words. It made her look kind of like a goddess, beautiful and ready to go into battle.

"Oh, should I bow then since I'm in front of someone with such a high position?" I joked. I pretended to bow and heard a laugh come up from above. I looked up and saw that Reyna's usual tough girl act was slowly breaking as she laughed at my joke. _Wow, her laugh sounds amazing._

"Shut up and get on." Reyna then extended her hand and helped me get onto her pegasus. "Ready to go?"

"As ready as I'll ever be Princess." I joked.

Reyna turned back to me with a look of annoyance and amusement. I smirked at her.

"Don't. Call me Princess." She threatened. She turned back and her pegasus broke into a run and then flew off the ground towards the horizon. I stared out towards the sun and prayed to my Dad that we would get there safely.

_It's finally begun. Time to stop the end of the world. _


	4. Chapter 4: Crashing the Pary

**I hope you guys like this new chapter, I finally started doing the other's POV's like I promised! So I wanted to give you all a heads up, this is a time skip from Alex's departure into right when the Seven leave Epirus, basically picking up where HoH left off. I will explain what happened to Alex throughout his journey in a series of flashbacks or dreams he will have during his POV chapters, so expect the chapters to be long (Which I hope everybody likes as much as I do because longer chapters mean more content ;D) It sounds kind of confusing, but hopefully it'll make sense in a whole. Either way, enjoy!**

Percy's POV

You'd think that after surviving in Tartarus and literally going to Hell and back, Annabeth and I would get a break just for at least a day. I mean heck! Couldn't we just get lucky for once and have a good day together with great friends by our side. But considering how bad my luck is combined with the bad luck the rest of my friends had, it turns out that that wasn't what was going to happen.

It all started when the small army of _venti_ attacked us during a party on the deck of the Argo II.

We were docked by a port in Epirus, secretly shrouded in Mist thanks to Hazel. The reason we came back was because Leo needed to gather more supplies for the ship for some "side-quest" he mentioned that was supposedly vital to defeating Gaea. Sure it sounded a little sketchy, but I learned to start trusting my friend's gut instincts after everything we'd all been through, so I didn't bother questioning it.

Jason and Frank had volunteered to go into the nearest town and retrieve the supplies Leo had requested. Leo was down in the engine room inspecting everything for a third time in a row, wanting to make sure that the trip to Athens would be smooth sailing. Hazel was still sparring with Piper, who was getting pretty good, and Annabeth was right by my side like always.

My arm was around Annabeth's waist and I held her close. We were standing in the same spot we were at when the ship had left the House of Hades staring out at the sea, and I was feeling very happy despite the end of the world coming.

You see, I had something very special planned happening today. Not only were Jason and Frank gather supplies for the Argo II, but I asked them to pick up some birthday supplies for Annabeth's late "surprise" birthday party. Even when trekking dangerous territory like Tartarus, a good boyfriend _always_ remembers his girlfriend's birthday. I had felt extremely terrible that Annabeth had to celebrate her seventeenth birthday in Tartarus, so I had planned on making it up to her as soon as we got back.

I turned my gaze from the ocean and found myself staring at Annabeth, just taking in her beauty and how the sun seemed to make her tan skin shine and her golden blonde hair seem so beautiful. She noticed I was looking at her and turned her gaze towards me as well. The thing I loved most about Annabeth was how her stormy gray eyes seemed to twinkle every time she looked at me, either with affection or annoyance or any other emotion I could think of.

"What's up Seaweed Brain? Got something in that kelp-filled mind of yours?" Annabeth joked. She smiled brightly at me with an amused look on her face.

"Oh, it's nothing" Percy laughed. "Though actually, there's something I need to show you."

I let go of Annabeth's waist and grabbed her hand, walking towards the door that would lead us below deck to where our cabins were in. Annabeth had a confused look on her face as I led her towards the door.

"Where are we going Percy?" Annabeth asked.

"Oh, don't worry about it. It'll be a surprise!" I teased. I had to get Annabeth away from everybody for a bit so they could decorate the deck of the ship for Annabeth's surprise party. Plus, there was the matter of my gift for Annabeth.

We went down the stairs and headed straight to my room. As soon as I had gotten Annabeth into my room, I immediately closed the door so she wouldn't wander on deck while the others would be quickly decorating. I leaned towards the door and could hear the others' feet quickly shuffling around as if they were running around. _Must be setting up right now. I hope I can stall Annabeth for that long._

As soon as I turned around, I saw Annabeth sitting on my bed staring at me. I noticed her face was slightly red. _What's up with her?_

I walked over and sat down right next to her.

"So what are we doing down here alone Percy?" Her face seemed to get even redder.

"Well, ever since we got out of Tartarus, one thing had been on my mind the entire time." I looked Annabeth straight in the eyes. "And I intend to make sure it happens"

Her face seemed to blush so much, she started to look like one of Apollo's sacred cows. She looked away from me and straight down to her feet, as if her shoes were the most fascinating thing around.

"Percy, I think we should wait until later in the future before we go that far." Annabeth then put her hands to her face. "I mean, I know we're young and anything can happen, but I really want to wait."

At this point, I was completely confused. _Wait until the future? _

"Wait, what?" I leaned in even closer to Annabeth who suddenly seemed so shy. "What are you talking about?"

"You know, I think we should wait to do _that_ later on…" Annabeth muttered.

It took me a few minutes to get what she was saying. I fell on my back and started to laugh loudly. _Oh boy! I can't believe she thought I was talking about _that. _This is too priceless!_ Annabeth started to look mad but still had that blush on her face.

"What's so funny about that!?" Annabeth yelled.

"I wasn't talking about _that_. I was talking about your birthday!" I was still laughing, thinking about how cute Annabeth looked when she was so embarrassed.

Annabeth's expressions changed from anger to shock to even more embarrassment in a matter of seconds. She opened her mouth, trying to find a way to fix the situation, but closed it knowing that there was no way to redeem herself from that. I slowly stopped laughing and gave her a big smirk.

"Don't worry, I won't tell anybody about what you thought." I promised.

"Thanks." Annabeth murmured. Her blush was still there.

"Now, close your eyes, and don't open until I say so." I warned. "I'm gonna give you my present right now."

Immediately Annabeth closed her eyes and held her hands out. I reached under my pillow and pulled out a necklace. It had a long silver chain and its pendant was a silver & golden owl with diamonds encrusted into its eyes, mimicking Annabeth's startling gray eyes that I had grown to love seeing. _I really hope she likes it…_

"Open your eyes." Annabeth opened her eyes and gasped.

"Oh my gods!" She took the necklace and examined it. "Thank you so much Percy!"

"How'd you get this?" Annabeth asked.

"Well, I got it from the Amazons headquarters after we pretty much ransacked it." I shrugged. "I saw it and remembered you a little more, so I thought I'd get it to remind me of you during my quest to Alaska."

Annabeth gave me an endearing look, and tears started to form in her eyes.

"Here, let me put it on you." Annabeth handed me back the necklace and turned her back to me, lifting up her long blonde hair. I wrapped it around her neck and clasped it together. Annabeth turned back to me and began to admire the necklace again.

"Happy Birthday Wise Girl." The necklace looked beautiful on her.

Annabeth then wrapped her arms around me in a warm embrace, and kissed me. Even to this day, whenever she kisses me I always felt like my brain was melting and leaving a warm sensation running down from my head all the way to my feet.

As soon as we broke apart, I gave her smile and got up.

"C'mon, that's only the first part of your surprise." I grabbed her hand and pulled her up. I was eager to show her the party that was gonna happen upstairs.

"There's more?" Annabeth gasped.

"Yup! Just wait and see!" I led her outside my room and wrapped a blindfold around her eyes. "No peeking Annabeth."

We slowly walked down the hall and up the stairs where I opened the door for Annabeth. As soon as we were on deck, I took off her blindfold so she could see.

"SURPRISE!" yelled everybody.

The deck had a table filled with party food like pizza, nachos, chicken wings and a chocolate cake with _Happy Birthday Annabeth_ written in strawberry icing. There were seven plates and chairs for the whole crew. Along the railing of the ship hung streamers as well as balloons floating everywhere. Nailed to the mast was a banner that had the number seventeen on it.

The others on the crew stood together, all wearing a big smiles on their faces. Jason stood behind Piper with his arms wrapped around her waist, Frank was right next to Hazel holding her hand, and Leo was standing in the middle wearing three birthday hats, one on his head and the other two over his ears.

Annabeth put her hands up to her mouth and tears started to fall from her eyes. Piper and Hazel immediately rushed over to her and gave her a big hug.

"Happy Birthday Annabeth!" Piper said happily.

"Come, sit down and let's sing your song." Hazel made a following gesture towards the table

The two girls led her over to the head of the table and sat her down. I followed and sat down to Annabeth's right side. Frank and Jason went and sat down with their girlfriends followed by Leo who looked pretty hilarious with his choice in hat wear. When everybody started to talk to each other, Annabeth leaned over to me and gave me a kiss on the cheek.

"Thanks Percy, I couldn't have asked for anything better." Annabeth whispered.

"Hey, only the best gift for the best girlfriend." Annabeth blushed at those words and it made me feel good knowing I could make her happy and do something right.

"Well, I think it's time for us to sing Happy Birthday right?" Jason asked.

"Whoa whoa whoa! Not before we light the candles my friend!" Leo reminded. He then pointed his index finger towards the seventeen candles on the cake, and individually shot a small ball of fire towards each one, lighting them up.

"Ta-dah!" Leo exclaimed. "Now we can commence with the joyous singing!"

All together, we started to sing Happy Birthday to Annabeth who had the biggest smile on her face. Every now and then, Leo would throw in a couple "Cha Cha Cha's" and it would make the rest of us laugh. When we had finished singing and clapping, Annabeth closed her eyes, concentrated for a few seconds, and blew out the candles. We all clapped again for Annabeth and she seemed to look happier than she had been in a long time. It was like we had never fallen into Tartarus and the world wasn't going to end.

"So, what did you wish for?" Frank asked. He started to cut the cake and hand out pieces to everybody.

"She can't say, or else it won't come true Frank." Hazel chided. She ate a piece of her slice of cake. "Mmmm, this is delicious, where'd you guys find this cake?"

"In a little bakery near the end of town, the baker was kind enough to accept drachmas too." Jason answered. He took off a piece and fed it to Piper.

"Well, I'm glad our boyfriends have excellent taste in baked goods." Piper agreed.

Leo got up from the table and started to head to the door leading below deck.

"Well, I'll be back guys, I gotta go check on the engines again real quick and make some adjustments with the supplies Jason and Frank brought back." Leo announced.

"Can't that wait until later?" Annabeth asked. "I mean, you deserve a break Leo."

"C'mon, eat some cake with the rest of us." I insisted.

Leo had been spending most of his time in the engine room ever since we came back, and it was starting to worry everybody, including me. He seemed to be much more different, definitely not as fidgety when I first met him, but a lot more sad. Especially in his eyes. I could see something had happened during our time in Tartarus and I wondered what had the power to change him like that.

"It'll only be for a few minutes, trust me." Leo assured. "Don't stop the party for me just yet! I'll definitely be back to start up that karaoke machine!"

_Oh gods. There's a karaoke machine?_

Leo winked, flashed a peace sign, and left the table to the engine room. The rest of us looked at each other with worried expressions. It was then that Jason broke the silence.

"Well, I guess we should leave him to it. But we'll definitely have to see what's wrong with him later on." Jason advised. "But for now, let's just try and celebrate Annabeth's birthday."

After that, the mood got a little bit better. Everybody started talking again. Hazel and Piper were talking about girl stuff with Annabeth and would laugh with each other every now and then. I moved to where Frank and Jason were talking to each other, curious to join in the conversation.

"-gree with you. I kind of like the idea of changing the name." Frank affirmed. "The First Legion, it sounds right."

"I'm glad you think that way." Jason grinned. "Don't worry, when this is all over, I'll help you out with the job. Trust me, I know how hard it can be."

"Hey, I'll help out too." I smiled. "I was praetor as well you know. Even if it was for two days"

The three of us laughed. I had almost forgotten that now including Frank, the three of us had been praetor at Camp Jupiter at one point in our lives. I was very proud when I heard that Frank had been promoted. I always knew he was a great leader ever since he led our quest to free Death in Alaska. I knew the Roman Camp was gonna be in good hands with Frank leading them. _Not if we all die in this quest though… No! Stop thinking so negatively!_

It was at that moment, Jason suddenly stopped laughing and had a weird look on his face. I almost immediately noticed that the sun had stopped shining over us and clouds started to form above us, with what looked like a lightning storm threatening.

"Uhhh, Jason, is that you doing this?" Frank asked nervously.

"No, this isn't me." Suddenly Jason pulled out his _gladius_. "I think we're about to have some company."

Then out of nowhere, the boat lurched sideways. HARD. And everybody flew to the left hand side of the ship. In an instant, about what looked like a hundred _venti_ came rushing down from the stormy sky and formed a sort of tornado around the ship. I pulled out Riptide, ready to fight.

_But how are we supposed to fight a small army of _venti_ when they've got us surrounded in a tornado?_

Together, we all formed a circle with weapons in hand. Annabeth stood by my side, and I felt glad that she was there, but very annoyed that these stupid storm spirits were ruining her special day.

That was when the tornado lifted the Argo II out of the harbor and shot us straight into the sky. It was after the ship was floating in the air thousands of feet out of the ocean that a group of _venti_ descended down right in front of us. One of them started to change forms from a violent looking mini-tornado into what looked like some jock wearing a Dallas Cowboys jersey with Western jeans and boots. He had short dark hair, a tan, and really white teeth, like, unnaturally white.

Immediately I heard Piper behind me make a gagging noise and I could see Jason looked really angry with the appearance of this jersey-wearing jock.

"Dylan." Jason said angrily. _OK, looks like they've already met each other I guess._

"Hey Jason! Piper. Babe. How you doing? Miss me?" Dylan winked at Piper. "Where's that little runt who always followed you two around? Theo was his name right?"

"Leo. And he's fine, he'll probably be glad to see you again, seeing how you threw him into the Grand Canyon." Piper growled. "Probably gonna kill you too."

Dylan laughed in a pretty obnoxious manner, and it only seemed to make Jason and Piper even madder. Then about a fifty _venti_ surrounded us, spiraling in a barely controlled manner, and I could feel their strong urge to rip us apart.

"Ah well, I doubt he'll have the chance." Dylan gave all of us a deadly glare. "You see, Gaea is pretty upset that you guys closed the Doors of Death, so she sent us to capture two of you and kill the rest."

The _venti_ were starting to get closer to all of us and we were continuously backing up until we were all standing in a circle, shoulder to shoulder.

"Now!" Jason shouted. He then leaped forward and started to take on a group of _venti_. As soon as he said that, the rest of us lunged towards the closest enemies and began to fight. I slashed at one _venti, _and then stabbed another. I would catch glimpses of my friends fighting too. Frank would shoot his arrows and every now and then turn into a bear or lion and slash at them. Hazel was weaving around and stabbing a _venti_ as well. I could hear Piper using her charmspeak yelling commands like _Stop! _or _Freeze! _and I had to resist the urge to stop fighting. I would also see Annabeth dodging and occasionally stabbing a storm spirit too, and boy did she look beautiful when she fought. Now, fighting _venti_ is a pretty tricky thing when you're not the Son of Jupiter like Jason, so fighting them was pretty hard, but we were able to hold our own for a bit.

Then, as I was fending off five of them, I heard Annabeth scream from behind me. I turned around instantly and saw three of them knock her drakon-bone sword out of her hand and grab her, attempting to fly away with her.

"NO!" I roared. _They're NOT gonna take her away from me!_

"Don't worry, I got her Percy!" Frank shot three arrows at the _venti_ and took each of them out. Annabeth then fell and landed near the railing. _Thank the gods!_

I realized I shouldn't have let my guard down at that point, because two v_enti_ tackled me and held me down. Dylan then appeared in front of me and with an evil look in his eyes, used the winds to blow Annabeth screaming off the ship and into the air. I watched in horror as she fell. _This can't be happening. We're supposed to stay together._

Jason saw what happened and tried to run towards Annabeth, but twenty _venti_ stopped him and held him down as well. I noticed that everybody was being held down by the _venti_, no one being able to do anything and Annabeth falling to her death.

"Well, looks like one down, six more to go." Dylan then changed his arms into mini cyclones and started to suck the air out of my lungs. I was slowly losing consciousness because of the fact that all the oxygen in my body was being forcibly sucked out of my body. I was about to die and I couldn't save Annabeth. _I'm so sorry Annabeth…_

Dylan then gasped and turned into golden dust which fell on top of me. I started to gasp and cough uncontrollably, trying to get my breath back. I looked up and saw an Asian kid standing right in front of me with a sword, sun breaking through the stormy clouds and shining down on him and the whole ship. He had an orange Camp Half-Blood shirt on and he was all scratched up and bruised with a mad look in his eyes.

He suddenly disappeared in a quick flash, and I heard all around me _venti_ being destroyed. I would see him next to Piper and Hazel destroying storm spirits and suddenly he was next to Jason and Frank getting rid of the enemy so fast. It looked almost like he was…_teleporting_ to each _venti_ and before any of them knew it, each one was being sent back to Tartarus. Bright flashes were happening everywhere and he killed each one in a rapid succession. He then ran to the railing.

"Leo! Lower the ship as fast as you can! I'm gonna try and save Annabeth!" the Asian kid ordered.

I turned towards where the steering wheel to the Argo II was and saw Leo standing there.

"On it!" Leo replied. He started to mess with his Wii remote and sent the ship down.

Suddenly, the Asian kid jumped off the ship at the same spot where Annabeth was thrown off the ship. I and the others all ran towards the railing. We all looked down and saw nobody in the air.

_Where's Annabeth! Is she OK?_ I was scared out of my mind. Jason jumped onto the railing and was also about to fly down to save Annabeth and the mystery kid when we heard a scream from behind us.

Annabeth was suddenly there with a pale face and wind swept hair. She was being carried bridal-style by the Asian kid who immediately put her down and fell down to his knees. Annabeth ran towards me and gave me a big hug.

"I-I almost thought I was never gonna see you again!" Annabeth cried. I could feel her sobbing against my chest too. I felt tears rushing down my face. The realization that I thought Annabeth was going to die was almost too much for me and scared me to death.

"It's OK." I hugged her tightly and we both fell down to our knees. "We're still together, and nothing is ever gonna change that. I promise."

After Annabeth had calmed down, we both got up and walked over to the camper who saved her. The others following behind us. Leo even came down from the steering wheel and joined us.

"Thank you for saving Annabeth." I gave him my hand and helped him up. "Though I'd hate to be a little rude, who are you and why are you here?"

The camper looked kind of nervous and started to fidget with his hands. Everybody on the ship from Camp Half-Blood seemed to recognize him but me, though he looked really familiar.

"Well, I don't know if you remember me, but I'm Alex Wang, Son of Apollo." Spoke the mystery camper. "And I'm here to help you win the battle against Gaea."


	5. Chapter 5: Memories of the Past

**A/N: Disclaimer; HoH and PJO all belong to Rick Riordan. I hope you guys enjoy this chapter a lot. :) Remember to Rate and Review for me! Also favorite and follow this story too. It helps give me inspiration to write when you guys do these small things for me :D Read and enjoy~**

Annabeth's POV

Despite being thrown off a flying ship and falling to my impending doom, it was still technically the best birthday party that I'd ever had. I mean, I got to spend it with people I hold very close to me, and I got a _beautiful_ present from my loving boyfriend Percy.

_Boyfriend._ It still gave me that warm-feeling in my chest and butterflies every time I said it and I had to resist the urge to squeal like a school-girl does when she sees a famous celebrity. Mainly because of the fact that I do NOT squeal in excitement.

Though, with this surprise that Percy had planned for me, I found it hard to keep that side contained like I usually do. Despite being a Seaweed Brain, he sure does know how to make me blush like crazy. Especially when I thought that he was talking about, well, _that_. Percy is definitely oblivious to the things he says. It's not my fault I interpreted his words that way! Every teenager my age has had those thoughts in their mind, so there's nothing wrong with that! Though he better keep his promise and stay quiet about it or I'll make him wish that he'd never left Tartarus.

I'm rambling on though.

Back to my thoughts during the fall.

To be honest, I was completely terrified as I was falling off the ship and towards my death. Now, most people would probably say _well, it's completely OK that you were terrified, you're falling thousands of feet in the air and you had no parachute or anything to save you. So don't feel too bad about it._ What people don't get is that as I fell, I was completely in shock and I couldn't think and just fell frozen in fear. I'm the daughter of Athena, the chosen one that single-handedly saved the Athena Parthenos. I'm supposed to always be able to figure out a way to survive or win, and no situation I had ever been in changed that. That's what was so shameful about this. I had never been this terrified since Tartarus, and as I was falling, I had a panic attack and started to remember Tartarus and the fall into it. It felt almost completely the same, but this time I was alone.

Alone.

Percy wasn't with me, and I was gonna die alone.

I closed my eyes as I knew death was gonna come. I could only hope the others could still beat Gaea without me. I thought about Percy, and his sea green eyes and how they looked _so_ much like the ocean. I thought about his wind swept jet-black hair. I thought about his mischievous smile and how whenever he smirked or grinned, his lips would move up to one side, making his mouth look lopsided but cute too. I thought about how he always smelled like ocean air, which reminded me of the sea. I imagined living with Percy, growing up, getting married, having kids, and finally dying of old age together. I wanted my last thoughts to be about the one that I loved.

_I'm so sorry Percy…_

Suddenly, I felt a strong pair of arms grab me. I opened my eyes to barely see dark hair and an orange Camp Half-Blood t-shirt. I could barely make out a voice from the sound of rushing air in my ears that said to _Hold On_.

_Percy?_

There was a bright flash and I felt extremely light, as if everything in my body had been taken apart and I was just air or nothing. I let out a scream as the bright flash enveloped everything. Then next thing I knew, I was back on the ship, not falling. I was being carried bridal-style by some Asian kid who looked very familiar. I looked around and saw Percy and the others standing across from me with shocked expressions on their faces. I immediately rushed out of the Asian kid's hold and heard him fall to his knees, but I didn't take time to check as I ran to Percy. I hugged him as tightly as I could, buried my face in his chest, and started to sob. I let out all the fear that I had from that fall and just let it out in front of him.

"I-I almost thought I was never gonna see you again!" I cried. I could feel Percy stroking my hair and holding me tight, and I was so grateful that he was.

"It's OK." Percy murmured. I could feel his entire body trembling. "We're still together, and nothing is ever gonna change that. I promise."

I loved him _so_ much for saying that to me. We stayed like that for a bit. Just taking in each other's embrace and existence as if it was the thing that kept us alive. I looked up back at Percy and jerked my head towards my mysterious savior. It was time that we thanked him and figure out who he was.

We got up together and all of us surrounded the mystery camper as he was catching his breath. He looked so familiar, but I couldn't quite put my finger on who he was. I knew that I knew him from Camp Half-Blood, but I didn't remember who he was exactly.

Percy helped him up, and he started to fidget with his hands. He looked extremely nervous as well as exhausted, judging from the state he was in.

"Thank you for saving Annabeth." Percy grinned. "Though I'd hate to be a little rude, who are you and why are you here?"

Finally, he spoke up.

"Well, I don't know if you remember me, but I'm Alex Wang, Son of Apollo." His eyes changed looks from nervousness, to grim determination. "And I'm here to help you win the battle against Gaea."

As soon as he said his name, I remembered him instantly. I had flashbacks to personal talks and the infirmary in the Big House.

_Alex!_

But, he had changed so much from when I last saw him. He was so much happier back then. His eyes used to be filled with life and radiated a sense of warmth like the sun, which I guess makes sense since he's Apollo's son. But now, he looked so tired and battle-worn. His Camp Half-Blood t-shirt was ripped and stained with blood, and his black jeans had tears and holes in them. He had definitely gotten leaner with muscle, very close to Percy's own physical build. His hair was longer and shaggier, more than Jason's but not as much as Percy's hair. The scariest change was his eyes. They had held some sadness and weariness before, but this was completely different. His eyes held a different kind of sadness. It was the same look I saw whenever I looked at either myself or any of the others on the crew. He looked defeated in life. Instead of it radiating the warmth of a bright sun, it felt dull like a sun when it was about to implode.

We all knew Alex, besides maybe Frank and Hazel. But, I would have thought he'd be back in Camp Half-Blood, being the medic like he always was. Yet here he was, with a sword in hand which was also strange, being that he should be an archer like his other siblings. Though I remembered why he'd probably be using a sword instead.

Leo walked over to Alex who had dropped his backpack and sheathed his blade into what mysteriously looked like a…_pen_. Leo stood right next to Alex and grinned his mischievous smile.

"Well, if it isn't our buddy Alex here! Well I for sure am glad that he's here, or else our butts would have been toast without him!" Leo gave him a celebratory clap on the back, but as soon as he slapped him, Alex fell to floor and was passed out. "Oops."

"Leo!" Piper yelled. She ran over to Alex's side, and tried to help him up. She then looked back at the rest of us. "Little help here?"

"Wasn't my fault! Honest!" Leo pleaded. He bent down and helped Piper get Alex up.

"We should take him to Coach Hedge's room since he's not here anymore." I suggested.

"That's gonna suck for Alex once he starts living in there." Percy mentioned. He walked over and grabbed the backpack Alex had when he showed up and slung it over his back. "It smells like goat and is a complete mess."

Hazel walked over to help Piper and Leo carry Alex to Coach Hedge's room. As they made it to the stairs, she tripped and grabbed at his already torn shirt to prevent herself from falling, ripping it completely off as she caught herself. Her eyes widened and she gave a small yelp.

"Whoa." Frank whispered.

We all grew silent as we looked at Alex's torso, seeing all the scars that were there. He had white scars all over his chest, some old and others that looked recent. They varied from both claw marks and bite marks. His back also had almost the same amount of battle scars. There was especially a big one on his stomach over where his left kidney was. That one looked the oldest and was almost faded, but still sort of noticeable.

"What do you think happened to him?" Jason asked.

"Doesn't matter! We gotta get him to a bed and let him rest!" Piper replied. "He looks exhausted."

We all then helped carry him to Coach Hedge's room. Surprisingly, he cleans up well and the room didn't even smell like goat anymore. It's almost like he knew someone else would be staying here and had the common courtesy to clean up for them before he left.

Piper and Leo laid him down in Coach Hedge's, well, now Alex's bed. I grabbed a chair and sat right next to Alex, feeling his forehead. He was burning up. Because of the mess created up above deck, the others were starting to leave to go and clean up. One by one, they filed out of the room, each of them giving Alex a second glance, not forgetting the scars all over his body. Percy stopped by the doorway and turn around towards me, with a worried look on his face.

"Um, Annabeth, are you gonna come up with us or stay here?" Percy asked.

"I'll stay here for a bit. Let me know when you guys are done and I'll meet you all in the dining room." I replied. I looked at Percy and gave him a small smile. "I'll be OK. Now go."

Percy gave me one last look, and smiled back. He left the room, closing the door behind him. I walked into the bathroom, wet a cloth, and brought it back to put over on Alex's forehead. I pulled a blanket over him and he looked peaceful in his sleep, the weariness was gone and each breath of his was relaxed and steady.

"This reminds me of the Big House you know?" I whispered. "Except that now it's me taking care of you, instead of the other way around."

I remembered back to the time when Percy first went missing. I had went almost insane with grief and fear, trying to look for him everywhere. I had spent days without sleep trying to search for him. I had become reckless and almost died a few times trying to find him. And as soon as the searching had taken its toll on me, I had to be sent to the infirmary in the Big House on the orders of Chiron. I was so weak from the lack of sleep, not eating so much anymore, and ultimately the pain in my heart from losing him.

That was when I first met Alex.

(Line Break: Flashback)

"_For…the last time…I'm OK Chiron!" I mumbled. My consciousness was fading in and out. I hadn't been sleeping much and definitely wasn't eating a lot anymore. But that didn't matter. What mattered more was trying to find Percy. I couldn't waste time, because for every second I waste, that was another second where he could potentially lose his life. "I…need to look… for Percy!"_

"_Hush child." I _hated_ it when Chiron called me a child. "Our best search teams are looking for him. For now, you must rest."_

"_Yeah Chase! Don't worry, we won't waste time looking for him. Leave it to us." Clarisse grunted. She was pretty much carrying me fire-man style, and I was too tired to try and fight back."_

_She plopped me down on the nearest bed, and left the infirmary. _

"_I leave her in your care. Do try and make sure she doesn't leave the infirmary until she has rested for at least three days." Chiron warned. _

"_I will. You can leave it to me." spoke a new voice. It wasn't one that I was familiar with. And I thought I knew almost everybody in Camp. I could tell it was a male though._

"_Then I shall be on my way to resume the search for Percy." I heard the clip clopping of Chiron's hooves as he left the infirmary._

_I was still fading in and out from consciousness, and I had spikes of pain flaring in my stomach due to starvation. I was so weak, I couldn't even lift my head up from the uncomfortable position that Clarisse left me in. I then felt a warm set of hands lift my head up and prop it up against the soft pillow. I could hear the mystery person humming to himself one of the camp-fire songs. I could taste the ambrosia and nectar that he gently fed me. To me, it tasted like the blue chocolate-chip cookies that Percy had shared with me on one date during the summer. The taste of it made me miss him even more and the ache in my heart strengthened. The pain in my stomach though slowly faded away. I felt a warm hand placed on my forehead, and could see a bright light. It felt so warm…and filled with life. But the light did more than just feel warm. It in a way soothed the pain in my heart for a bit. I could feel happiness and joy radiating from the light, and I felt better and not in despair like I was before. The light then faded, but the feeling still remained. _

_I opened my eyes a bit to see an Asian boy sitting by my bedside, smiling down on me._

"_Who are you?" I murmured._

"_Shh." He whispered. "Save it till the morning. For now, sleep." He put his hand on my forehead again, and a bright light came once more._

_This time, it put me to a deep sleep, where I dreamt of a better day. A better day with Percy._

_I had woken up and felt so much more rested. My body was still sore though from constantly pushing itself in my quest to find Percy. I looked to my side to find the Asian boy still sitting by my bedside. His hand was over mine, and he had fallen asleep most likely watching over me. I didn't sense any romantic gesture towards him putting his hand over mine. It felt more like a friend holding another's hand because they were worried about them. _

_I shook him on the shoulder and he woke up immediately._

"_Oh! I am so sorry." He took his hand off of mine and started to blush. _

"_It's OK." I assured. "I know you were just worried about me." _

_He gave me a smile, got up, and walked to another room. I could hear dishes being moved around and the sound of a stove turning on._

"_Who are you?" I shouted. I looked at a clock and noticed I had been asleep for almost a whole day._

"_My name is Alex. I'm the Son of Apollo. Official Medic or Doctor to Camp Half-Blood according to Chiron." I could smell bacon and eggs being cooked from the other room and it was an intoxicating scent. My stomach growled loudly and I could heard a laugh from the other room._

_Alex came out of the other room with two plates filled with bacon and eggs, and two glasses of orange juice. _

"_Hungry?" He set down the plate and glass right next to me, and handed me a fork. I took them and started to eat, not really paying mind to how messily I was eating. I guess I was so hungry that I didn't even care to watch how I ate. I looked up and started to blush when I saw Alex was staring at me with an amused expression on his face. _

"_What!?" I blurted. I gave him one of my death glares._

"_Nothing. It's just the way you eat reminds me of my Mom." Alex laughed._

"_So you're saying your Mom eats like she's been starving for three days?" I retorted. I immediately regretted saying that. I was still upset about losing Percy that I was making bitter remarks about Alex's mother, and I instantly felt terrible._

_His gaze suddenly dropped and the look in his eyes lost the flair in them. He looked down and started to pick at his food, not eating a single bite._

"_I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to say it like that." I explained. "I guess I'm still upset about Percy being missing. I shouldn't have made that comment about your mother. Please forgive me."_

"_No, it's fine." Alex muttered. He looked back at me and his eyes were sad. As if he remembered something painful. "It's just, it's kind of true. We had to struggle so much."_

_Alex looked outside the window and I could recognize the look on his face. It was the same one that Percy had when he first thought he had lost his Mom. _

_I took Alex's hand._

"_Either way, that was disrespectful of me. I hope you can forgive me." He looked back at me and I could see that his expression had softened and he gave me a small smile. _

"_It's alright." Alex replied. His eyes were still sad. "I just miss her."_

"_Why don't you tell me your story? I'd love to hear about your life. I'll tell you mine too if you want." I offered. My life wasn't a topic I liked to talk about, but I felt a bond with Alex that made it seem OK to talk to him. He was gentle and caring, a lot like Percy. It made me trust him right away, which is hard for me to do with people I don't know well._

_He stared at me for a few seconds before he gave me a small smile again._

"_Alright then." He set his plate down. "Maybe it's about time I talked about it instead of keeping it all to myself."_

_Alex helped prop me up into sitting position and I gave him my full undivided attention._

"_Well, my Mom was from China. And she said she met Apollo when she was seventeen. She was still in high school, but she loved to sing and play guitar." Alex divulged. The gaze in his eyes seemed to grow distant as he talked. "She was the school's best musician and was actually gonna get signed from a record company in China and become a singer, which would have made my grandparents proud" _

"_Well, obviously being a singer means she attracted the attention of Apollo. They fell in love and had me, but seeing as he was a god, he couldn't stay." Alex continued. He seemed to get a little angry now. "My Mom gave birth to me while she was still in school, and because she was a teenage mother, the record companies and my grandparents grew disgusted with her, thinking she dishonored herself by getting pregnant. So my grandparents kicked her out and she came here to America to make a living for the both of us."_

"_Oh no." I whispered. I was wondering how any parents could just abandon their child. Sure, she may have gotten pregnant too young, but that doesn't mean you kick your kid to the curb. That was just wrong. _

"_Well, eventually she had to work three jobs and we lived in a dingy apartment. We struggled hard, but I always knew she did her best." Alex added. "I always felt like it was my fault our lives were bad, but my Mom always told me that it was never my fault, and that me being born was the best thing that ever happened to her." _

_Tears started to form in my eyes. Alex's story seemed so sad, I squeezed his hand a bit tighter for reassurance. He gave me another small smile as I did that, and his eyes seem to silently thank me for that._

"_Eventually when I got into high school, things got easier for the both of us since I could start working and help out too. We were happy together, though I would occasionally catch my Mom crying sometimes. I think it was because she was still in love with Apollo and missed him." Alex revealed. "She would always tell me that he was a great man and helped her become the independent woman she was today. That he helped her to learn to speak her own mind. She said I reminded her a lot of him, especially with my caring nature."_

_That made me think back to my own Dad. I too would always catch him wistfully staring out the window sometimes, and I would wonder if he thought about Athena every now and then as well._

"_Well, a few months ago, she went back to China to visit my grandparents who wanted to see her. Her plane landed her in another city and she had to wait a few days for the next flight." Alex's voice started to quiver and tears slowly started to form in his eyes. I could tell he was trying his best to keep from crying, as I was too. He sighed before he continued. _

"_The-there was an earthquake in that city. An-and, well…she didn't make it." Tears started to fall down from the both of us. I was surprised to hear that his mother's death was so recent. "My grandparents called me and blamed me for everything. Saying it was my fault that she died, and that if I was never born, my Mom would still be alive and living a good life instead of the hard one she had with me." _

"_How could they say that to you!?" I ranted. "They're not the only ones that lost someone. You're their grandson, they should care about you! Not hate you!"_

_I could feel rage boiling down inside of me. Alex looked me back in the eyes and I couldn't fathom the pain in his eyes._

"_Well, they decided to keep her body in China and held the funeral there. I couldn't even get to be there because they wouldn't fly me out and I couldn't raise enough money for a plane ticket." Alex said shakily. "They said I didn't deserve to be there. And in the end, they were right. I didn't. It was all my fault. My whole existence…in the end, I'm the one who killed my Mom."_

_I was completely frozen in shock. I couldn't understand how someone's grandparents could be so cold to their only living grandchild. I gave Alex a big hug as he started to cry, and I couldn't help to keep myself from crying._

_We stayed like that for a very long time, and we both eventually fell asleep. A couple of days had passed, and Alex and I bonded very closely. I had told him all about my life, and he told me about all his troubles with his cabin and his lack of skills. Alex and I grew as friends as the days passed by. I still fondly remembered our goodbyes as I left on the Argo II to Camp Jupiter to retrieve Percy._

"_Well, good luck Annabeth. I hope you find him." Alex gave me a big hug and I gave him a big smile._

_We were standing on the walkway that led up to the Argo II. Everybody was already on board and waiting for me. _

"_I will. Thank you so much for the past week. I really needed a friend to keep me going and you did that for me." I expressed._

"_Hurry Annabeth! We gotta go!" Piper shouted. I looked back to see Jason, Leo, Piper, and Coach Hedge standing there waiting for me._

_I walked up onto the Argo II and gave Alex a final wave goodbye._

"_Until next time Alex, I'll make sure you get to properly meet Percy this time." I yelled_

"_Alright." Alex laughed. "I'll be looking forward to it!" He waved goodbye as the ship took off and we left him and the whole Camp behind as we headed towards Camp Jupiter. _

(Line Break: End of Flashback)

I sat there remembering those times and was extremely grateful that Alex was there for me. I took Alex's hand in mine, just as he had done for me those many months ago. I gave it a reassuring squeeze and hoped that he would recover soon.

I heard the door open and looked towards the door. Percy had come in through the door very quietly as to not wake up Alex and entered the room, sitting right next to me.

"Hey Wise Girl, we finished cleaning up. Do you want t- Why are you crying?" Percy asked. He had a look of genuine concern.

I wiped away the few tears I had shed from the memories of Alex. I felt saddened knowing that he was going to risk his life for the quest, and remembered all the scars on his body. I shuddered thinking about what he had to go through to get here, all by himself nonetheless.

"It's nothing. I'm just worried for him." I confessed. I looked back at Alex and hoped he would be OK. "He did a lot for me when you had gone missing. I was so sad and thought I couldn't go on anymore, but he helped pick me back up so I wouldn't fall into despair."

Most guys would have been jealous to hear that their girlfriend was praising a random guy like that, but Percy gave me an understanding look and actually smiled.

"Well then, I have a lot more to thank Alex for when he wakes up." Percy got up and headed towards the door. "I'll leave you here instead and tell the others you're gonna watch over Alex."

Percy left the room and quietly closed the door. I then took Alex's wet cloth and re-soaked it in cold water. I put it back on his forehead and he seemed to stir in his sleep. I thought I heard him mutter a name.

I didn't know if I was hearing right, but it sounded like he had said "Reyna". I didn't try thinking about it too much, but I would have to remember to ask him about it later when he woke up.

I put my hand on top of his, and laid my head down by his side. I soon drifted off with one last thought in my mind before I entered into a dreamless sleep.

_Thank you Alex. Get better soon.  
_


	6. Chapter 6: Sweet Dreams

**A/N: I hope you guys enjoy this chapter. This one is especially long hahaha. Remember to rate and review for me! As well as favorite and follow the story too. My finals are coming up this week so I may not update very often, but I hope you all stay tuned for the next one ;)**

Alex's POV

You know, I would have thought that after performing a miraculous feat like saving the Argo II crew from a small ARMY of _venti_, I would be able to look cool in front of everybody and make them really believe that I'd be able to help them save the world and wasn't such a loser. Too bad my mind and body didn't seem to agree and decided to give out on me after getting a small celebratory slap from Leo on the back. The last thing I remembered before falling down face forward to the floor and passing out was everybody giving me a doubtful look. It was like they couldn't believe I was really there to help. That completely sucked.

_Nice going Alex. Way to look weak in front of everybody. Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!_

What also sucked was that I couldn't remember HOW I ended up in the Argo II. In the engine room with Leo nonetheless. I couldn't seem to remember much.

I remember meeting my Dad in a small music shop in Epirus, but anything beyond that is just…nothing. Though I couldn't help and wonder why I felt so angry. Did something happen between me and my Dad that I can't seem to remember?

I DO remember getting separated from Reyna during a gryphon attack. I would have to remember to Iris Message her after this…that is if she was still willing to talk to me…

Speaking of Reyna, it seemed like my mind decided to take a trip to memory lane. Instead of having a normal dream, demigods tend to have weird dreams. They could be based on the future, seeing what was happening elsewhere, or visions and advice from the gods.

My dream was much sweeter than that.

I happened to dream about my journey to Epirus with Reyna, and everything that came with it.

(Line Break: Flashback)

_As expected, our trip was definitely not easy. Reyna and I were always attacked by random monsters by the hour, and only every now and then would we ever get time to sleep or rest. Despite all that, that wasn't what bugged me the most._

_The first couple of days with Reyna were kind of awkward. And by awkward I mean it's like she suddenly became, well, indifferent towards me. It's kinda like those times I made her laugh never happened and I was just some guy she was stuck with. I don't know why, but it hurt me a bit to see her act like that towards me. _

_It wasn't the same type of hurt I had experienced before at Camp Half-Blood with…"her"._

_I refuse to acknowledge her name, especially after all that she did to me. Even though I should be more furious about it, it just made me sad inside. Somehow, I felt like it was my fault._

_No, the type of hurt I got from Reyna was similar, but it was more insistent. It bugged me to no end, and I wanted to make things better between us, but it was so hard when she acted so distant with me._

_Normally I would have given up if I felt somebody didn't like me, because I learned from my Mom that I couldn't please everybody and to accept that. But still. I couldn't help feeling that I _wanted_ things to work out between me and Reyna. I wanted us to actually become…friends. _

_Yeah. _

_Definitely be friends._

_Today I was determined to try and get Reyna to actually keep up a conversation instead of being so distant and reclusive. _

_I walked towards the clearing where we were camped for the night, carrying a bundle of firewood that I had gathered from the forest. I found Reyna setting up her tent. She had taken off her armor and was wearing another purple Camp Jupiter t-shirt, with jeans, sneakers, and her golden dagger strapped to her side. I remember when she first told me about why she always wore armor all the time. It was in order to uphold the appearance of a Roman officer, and show her legion to respect her. I could tell though that wearing the armor constantly was really uncomfortable and assured her that it was OK to take it off whenever we were just resting for the night. I didn't think she'd actually take my words into consideration. _

_I found myself staring at her as she finished setting up her tent and proceeded to feed her pegasus Scipio some carrots. One thing I had always noticed about Reyna was the fact that despite her tough exterior, somewhere deep inside her, she held a lot of sadness. In her dark obsidian-colored eyes, I could see that she had gone through a lot in life, and it made me wonder if that was one of the reasons why she was so difficult to try and get to know. _

_Despite all that, I could see how gentle she was from the way she treated her pegasus and friend Scipio. Her gaze would change from being cold and hard to one filled with love and kindness. From that, I knew that it would be worth it to get to know this Roman girl. I _wanted_ to get to know her, and maybe help make the pain in her life a bit easier. _

_I approached the campfire, dumped the firewood in, and then attempted to cook some of the food we had gathered. What rations we had, we stole from markets, or well. _I_ stole. It wasn't my first time stealing food to be honest. _

_Today's dinner was gonna be some chicken fried steaks I had taken from the Frozen Foods department. I put the frozen chicken steaks onto the frying pan and put it over the fire to cook, gathering the plates and utensils that we would eat with._

_Reyna seemed to finally notice that I had shown up and her gaze went back to being hard and indifferent. She sat down across from me and stared at the food being cooked, her eyes going hazy as if remembering another time._

"_What are you thinking about?" I asked suddenly. I was determined to make sure that we would talk this night instead of it being an uncomfortable silence like the last few dinners we had. _

"_Nothing…just remembering old times…better times." Reyna replied shortly. Her gaze left the frying pan and she looked me straight in the eyes. "Why do you ask?"_

_I couldn't tear my own gaze away from her. I could see a lot of grief in her eyes, but they still looked so mesmerizing. Her dark eyes were really beautiful. They reminded me of the night sky actually. I could almost imagine seeing stars in them._

"_Oh, I was just wondering." I looked away and hoped she didn't catch me blushing. It was hard not to get, well as cheesily as they say it, lost in her eyes. "I just felt like maybe we could, you know, get to know each other since we're gonna be with each other for a while."_

_Reyna's brows started to furrow and her eyes narrowed at me. _

"_All you need to know is we need to go to Croatia to look for something." Reyna grabbed her plate and snatched up her chicken steak with a fork and started to eat. Even though she said we were supposed to look for something, it almost sounded like she meant _someone.

"_Aren't we supposed to go to Epirus first though?" I snatched up my own chicken steak and started to eat. "At least, that's what Rachel told me."_

"_Well, do you know _how_ to get to Epirus?" Reyna asked. Her gaze became harder, as if she was challenging me._

"_Well…no, not really." I replied sheepishly. She was right. I didn't really think about it until this very moment. It seemed like me to forget about details like that._

"_Then you will just have to trust my judgment." Reyna stated._

_That comment ticked me off, and it's usually hard to tick me off. I felt angry that she had said that to me. How can she expect me to trust her when _she's_ making it so hard to. This whole time I had been trying to form a bond with her, but she seemed to shut down any form of friendship I tried to offer._

"_Trust you?" I said with an annoyed toned. "How am I supposed to trust somebody that acts so indifferent towards me? This whole time I've been trying to get to know you and maybe be friends, but all you've done is shut me out." _

_Reyna seemed to not like my sudden outburst, because she looked pretty mad. _

"_Maybe because of the fact that my life and past is something I do not like to talk or share about." She said through gritted teeth. "If you cannot understand that, then you should abandon all hope of a partnership between the two of us working."_

_I went quiet after she said that. I knew where she was coming from when she said that she didn't like talking about her past. I felt the same way too at one point. That was before I met Chiron and Annabeth, who both helped me to cope with my past. I knew that I shouldn't push Reyna, but perhaps maybe make her trust me more by possibly giving her the distance she needs, and hope that within time that she might change her mind about me. _

"_Now if you'll excuse me, it is your turn to take first watch. And I need to rest for tomorrow's journey." Reyna got up and started to head to her tent when I grabbed her hand._

"_What!?" Reyna snapped. She looked annoyed that I was keeping her from resting._

"_Wait. Please, hear me out first." I pleaded. I looked her in the eyes and I could see her eyes soften a bit._

"_Alright then." Reyna sighed. She sat back down and gave me her attention. _

"_Look, I'm sorry. I know I shouldn't push you into spilling about your past." I admitted. "So I promise that I won't force you to talk about it anymore unless you want to."_

"_Though, I do want us to be friends. So maybe to relieve the tension between us so you can start trusting me, I'd like to tell you about my past." I continued. _

_Reyna's eyes still didn't change, keeping her gaze hard._

"_No Alex, its fine. I don't want to mak-"Reyna said._

"_No. I want to tell you. So please. Just listen." I interrupted. "We need to establish trust somehow, and this is the best way I can think of. Honestly, I'm not expecting you to suddenly open up to me even if I talk about myself, but I at least want you to know who I am. And that I'm a good guy who wants to help. I want, even if it's a little bit, for you to trust me."_

"_Trust is a hard thing to earn…" Reyna murmured. "But I will listen to your story if that is what you want."_

_The way she said it. It was almost as if she'd lost all hope in trusting people. _This_ is what made me want to get to know her. I wanted to know how she became who she is today, and try to help maybe relieve the pain she held like Chiron and Annabeth did for me. There was something about her that made me want to help her no matter what, but I didn't know why. But for some crazy reason. I didn't really care if I knew why or not. _

_So, we sat there almost the whole night as I talked about my life. I talked about my past and my experiences at Camp Half-Blood. I talked about my fears and dreams. I was even able to get Reyna to smile when I talked about embarrassing moments in my life. Like the time when I accidentally went into the girl's restroom when I was five, got stuck in the toilet, and had to have the fire department _literally_ save my butt. _

_It felt nice to let it all out to Reyna. _

_She was a good listener. And she never interrupted. _

_One thing I noticed was how our sitting arrangement had changed as the conversation grew longer into the night. She was no longer sitting across from me, but right next to my side. I felt the tension between us disappear slowly as I laid out my life to her. I guess I also felt that I wanted someone to know about my life, just in case something happened to me. I didn't want to be forgotten, because that was one of my greatest fears. _

_After a while, Reyna had fallen asleep. She was laid down right next to me, and was snoring softly. For some reason, I couldn't help staring at her as she slept. I know it sounds kinda creepy, but she looked cute. Kinda like all the troubles in life left her. She actually looked happy. _

_Instinctively, I tucked a stray hair behind her ear. I had always wondered what her hair would look like if she decided not to braid it and let it all hang loose. I bet she would have looked amazing in my opinion._

_I began to think about my whole goal in trying establish trust and maybe a bond between me and Reyna. In the beginning, I just wanted us to be friends, but now. I wasn't so sure what I wanted. I always kept thinking about how beautiful she looked, and thought that it was just me complimenting her and there was really nothing behind it. But now as I sat there watching her sleep, something changed in the way I thought about her. I didn't know if I liked her or not, because that would be insane to consider seeing as how we only just met a few days ago. But what was it about her that made me have this elated feeling in my mind and chest whenever I saw her or thought about her. _

_The only time I ever thought I felt like this was back at Camp Half-Blood with…"her"._

_I refused to let something like that ever happen again._

_Either way, I just wanted me and Reyna to at least be friends. I would have to figure out these feelings later on. We both had other things to worry about currently. _

_For the rest of the night, I just sat there watching over Reyna and keeping watch. _

_I felt almost exhausted until the sun started to rise in the horizon. As soon as the sun's rays shone down on our little camp site, I felt rejuvenated and definitely not tired anymore. These new powers my father mentioned seemed to definitely have their perks. Only just yesterday did I realize I had the power to teleport anywhere that daylight or even light's presence was. Teleport was a simpler way of me saying breaking down my body and essence into light itself and instantaneously moving it to whatever desired location I had. If I focused, I could locate any light source within a mile's radius of me, which was about as far as I could "teleport" to. _

_Reyna figured my abilities were very similar to the way the gods' travelled. _

_I got up and started to pack up camp. As I was finishing packing Reyna's stuff and loading it onto Scipio, who by the way grew to actually like me, Reyna woke up._

_Reyna's hair was a mess despite being in a single braid, and she had grass all over her crumpled Camp Jupiter t-shirt. Even with all that, she still managed to look cute._

"_Morning Princess." I joked._

_She shot me a death glare that reminded me of Annabeth. They were a lot alike in my opinion._

_She got up and stretched. Every now and then she would groan in pain._

"_Remind me to never sleep on the floor again." Reyna started to brush off the grass on her shirt and made an attempt to fix her hair. It was kind of nice to see Reyna was like a regular girl that cared about her hair instead of an emotionally dead robot "I have back pains that only the Underworld would use as a torture."_

_I walked over to Reyna and grinned._

"_Sit down. I'll help." I offered._

_Over the days, Reyna grew to trust my healing abilities, especially after all the injuries we would get from the constant monster attacks. She sat down without any question and turned her back to me. _

_I put both my hands on her back, and she kind of shivered as I did that. I wonder why?_

"_OK, just tell me when you feel the aches and tension go away." I ordered._

"_OK…" Reyna murmured. Why was she being shy all of a sudden?_

_For small things like this, I didn't really have to concentrate to absorb the sunlight and relieve the tension and back pains in Reyna's back. Both my hands started to glow and emit a bright light. I could hear Reyna sigh in relief as my powers were doing the trick. _

"_This feels nice." Reyna mumbled. _

"_I bet it does." I laughed._

_As I kept it up, I could feel more tension, but not from the back pains she had. I could almost feel the tension from all the stress she harbored possibly all these months. I strengthened the healing effect of my powers and attempted to heal that tension too. I could feel Reyna relax as I amped up the power of my abilities. Dare I say I even heard her give out a small moan?_

"_Did you just moan?" I teased. If she did, there was no way I was gonna let that down._

"_N-no! Shut up!" Reyna stammered. She immediately pulled away and the light in my hands disappeared. She got up and started to stretch once more. "Thank you. Your powers come in handy every now and then."_

"_Ah well, this _was_ my job at Camp Half-Blood, like I said before." I reminded._

_Reyna looked around for a bit before she gave me a strange look._

"_Where's my armor?" Reyna looked a little mad._

"_I packed it up with all your other stuff and loaded it onto Scipio." I shrugged._

"_Why would you do that? I need that armor!" Reyna said. She walked towards Scipio in an attempt to get her armor._

_I grabbed her arm and turned her around._

"_Stop. Wearing that armor is a heavy burden on you. It's causing tension in your muscles from the weight of it. I know because I could feel it earlier when I was getting rid of your back pain." I warned. "Wearing it too much will make the tension worse and you never know if it may affect you in battle. So listen to me, I'm kind of like a doctor here." _

_Reyna kept a hard gaze on me and crossed her arms. Finally she sighed._

"_Alright then. I trust your judgment." Reyna decided._

_As she said that, I smiled. She's starting to trust me now huh? That's good. We're finally at a good start._

"_But, if I get hurt, you better be able to heal me." Reyna threatened. Even though it was meant to be intimidating, I couldn't help but get the feeling she meant it in a teasing tone. So I decided to tease her back. Just a bit._

"_Don't worry, I'll heal you to perfection." I winked. "I'll even make sure you have no scars. Wouldn't want to ruin such a beautiful face AND girl."_

_Reyna's face blushed. I mean, I've only known her for a few days, but she ACTUALLY blushed. She's never blushed or even shown the slightest bit of emotion before. She suddenly got kind of mad, but that blush was still there. _

"_Watch it with comments like that, or else I'll skewer you with my dagger." Reyna threatened._

"_Alright, I'll stop with all the compliments." I lied. "Promise."_

_She walked away murmuring something about "Greeks" and "compliments"._

_I followed her to Scipio as she started to feed him right before the journey. It was gonna be a long one and we were barely half way through the United States. What kind of sucked was the fact that the last ambush of monsters destroyed both our sleeping bags, which meant the nights were going to be hard since we'd probably have to sleep on whatever terrain there was. _

_Suddenly, a memory came back to my mind. I then came up with a temporary idea for our sleeping needs._

"_Hey Reyna, do you enjoy sleeping on bad flooring?" I asked innocently. She turned to me with an eyebrow arched over._

"_Obviously not. Why do you ask?" Reyna replied. _

"_How would you feel about sleeping on a real bed, and taking a real shower?" I continued._

"_Well, that would be great, but unless you can produce those things out of nowhere or have enough money to get us those things, it's kind of a hopeless dream." Reyna added._

"_Ah, rest assured. For I have a plan my friend." I smirked. "But you'll have to wait and see."_

_Reyna gave me an annoyed look before she rolled her eyes and sighed again._

"_Fine. I trust you." Reyna answered._

_She said it again. She says she trusts me. I don't know why, but my heart did a kind of skip every time she said that. I would have to figure that out later though. _

_With that said, we both got onto Scipio and flew off into the distance, getting closer and closer to Croatia. And here I was smiling like a big doofus because I finally was able to make friends with Reyna._

(Line Break: Flashback End)

I slowly opened my eyes to find myself staring at a ceiling I wasn't familiar with, in a bed that slightly smelled like goat. I just laid there for a bit, trying to recall the dream that I had. It was such a nice dream, back when things were a bit simpler then what they were now. I knew the next chance I got, I would attempt to Iris Message Reyna. I needed to know how she was doing.

I looked around and noticed that Annabeth was asleep to my right side, with her hand over mine. This sight brought back a lot of nostalgia from back when I was still a fresh and new camper to Camp Half-Blood. I slowly got up, careful not to move or disturb Annabeth. I made my way to the bathroom, and looked at myself.

I was a literal mess.

I started to count the scars all over my torso. I remembered how I got each and every one of these scars. A lot of it was due to my own lack of experience with a sword, but I knew I got better with each fight I was in.

I felt around in my pocket and felt Rising Sun there. It was enchanted like Riptide to always return to my pocket.

I put my hands over my own chest and started to concentrate. A lot of these scars were really here because of the fact that these were all rushed healings. I didn't really have the time to fully get rid of them. With that said, I absorbed the energy from the bathroom light, and could feel the glow of my healing powers over my torso, I looked in the mirror as the lights dimmed and could see multiple scars fading into nothingness at a rapid rate. Since they were already healed, getting rid of the scars was child's play.

By the time I was done, most of the scars were gone. Though some wouldn't go away. Like the huge one on my stomach that I got from Dr. Thorn. I guess wounds that had poison in it made the scars hard to get rid of. I quickly showered and got dressed again. In a new pair of black pants and another Camp Half-Blood t-shirt. I looked in the mirror one last time and was pleased with my change of clothes. The other one had too many rips and tears and blood on it to continue wearing.

I left the bathroom and found that Annabeth was wide awake now and sitting there patiently for me. She immediately got up and gave me a big hug which surprised me, but I hugged her back too.

"Hey Annabeth. Good to see you too." I laughed.

She let go and punched me in the arm. Hard.

"Ow! What was that for?" I asked.

"Alexander Wang! Why are you here?!" Annabeth yelled. She hit me again, but this time not as hard. "I mean, I'm glad to see you and all, but you should be back at Camp."

"Ah well, I think that's an explanation I should give to everybody on the crew actually." I answered sheepishly. "It's a long story, and I think everybody needs to hear it."

Annabeth gave me an annoyed look in her eyes and stared at me for a good while. Her look can be pretty intimidating from what I learned about her through our bonding time. It was enough to make me cringe and made me wonder if she had gotten that trait from her mother.

"Fine. Let's go up then. Everybody should be eating by now." Annabeth agreed.

Annabeth then led me down the hall and opened a door to a really nice dining room. I could see where there was supposed to be a windows on the wall instead had something similar to a TV which showed live projections of Camp Half-Blood in real time. I saw Chiron busy yelling orders with Clarisse by his side. They were still preparing for war. It made me a little home sick and guilty that I left the Camp behind to go on this quest. But it was ordered by the gods and my Dad, so I had to do it. Thinking about them made me angry, but I still couldn't remember why.

I saw that everybody was sitting around having a discussion. They were seated in what looked like really comfortable recliners with plates filled with food. None of them touched it though, and they seemed to be talking in a serious tone.

_I wonder if they're talking about me._

Annabeth gave a small cough and everybody seemed to notice that we were there. Their facial expressions changed from serious to happy. Though, it seemed kind of forced. I felt like they were kind of putting up a front because I was there.

Percy got up, gave Annabeth a hug and a small kiss. He then turned to me and gave me a big smile, which definitely helped put me at ease. I remembered him smiling like that at me and trying to reassure me when I first tried sword fighting. He was a pretty patient teacher, and didn't give me any grief for being bad at archery. I was glad that he wasn't apprehensive about me being here.

"Hey Alex. Sorry I didn't recognize you in the beginning. It's just, you've changed so much from when I first met you, it was hard to believe it was you." Percy admitted.

I took it as a compliment. I too noticed how I changed a lot from when I first joined the Camp to now.

"Well, we're all eating right now, so how about you take Coach Hedge's old seat." Percy continued.

He gestured towards a seat that sat completely opposite of the head of the table. Besides the seat were two people I had never met before. One was a cute African-American girl who had really curly hair and golden eyes that looked so much like REAL gold. Across from her was a really big and buff Asian guy. I had a pretty good guess he was Chinese like me, and no I'm not stereotyping that all Asians are Chinese right off the bat. I can just tell because of being surrounded by Chinese people my whole life. Despite his big appearance, he seemed to have a kind and gentle facial expression. Besides that, I already recognized Jason, Piper, and Leo. All of whom had changed just slightly from when I last saw them.

As soon as I sat down, the Asian guy handed me a plate. I didn't know what to do with it until he explained that I had to "ask" the plate what I wanted. I immediately said Spaghetti, and suddenly a plate full of Spaghetti and meat balls showed up right in front of me. The Asian guy smiled when he saw what was on my plate, and only then did I notice that he had the same thing. He pulled a cooler from his side and told me to do the same for a drink. I said Sunkist, put my hand in, and immediately pulled out an orange can of Sunkist. I could easily assume Leo made all this being the genius that he was.

"This is so cool." I started to eat because I was starving. It was only after a few bites that I noticed everybody was staring at me.

"Um, is there something on my face?" I asked nervously. I felt kind of awkward that everybody was looking at me.

It was then that the African-American girl spoke up. She looked about thirteen when I gave her a closer look, but she sounded so mature for her age.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I never got to introduce myself. My name is Hazel. Hazel Levesque." She gave me a smile, then pointed to the Asian guy sitting across from me. "And this is Frank, Frank Zhang. It's really nice to meet you."

Frank then extended his hand. I shook it and felt that this guy definitely had a strong grip.

_Note to self, don't mess with Frank or else he can possibly pulverize you._

"Nice to meet you guys too." I replied. They both looked at each other and then smiled. I assumed they were a couple based on the way they looked at each other.

It was then that Jason gave a small cough. Everybody directed their gaze at him. I noticed he wasn't sitting at the head of the table, and that Annabeth was.

_Must be because Jason and Percy couldn't decide who would sit there. Knowing Annabeth, she'd be the brains of the operation. That's for sure. No wonder she was sitting there instead._

"Well Alex, it's not like we all aren't glad to see you here, but I was hoping you could possibly explain how and why you're here." Jason said.

Everybody's gaze was back on me. And I felt the nervousness set in again. Annabeth looked at me and nodded for me to start my story.

"Well, originally I came here with somebody else. You guys should know her. Her name's Reyna." I said.

Everybody's expressions turned into shock in an instant.

"Reyna? How come she didn't mention you?" Piper asked.

"Probably because I told her not to. I didn't want to ruin the surprise." I said nervously.

Everybody started to look at each other and ask silent questions amongst one another. It was then that Leo broke the silence.

"Wait, so how come you didn't show up with her when she was here?" Leo added.

When he said that, everybody began to give each other nervous glances.

I knew they wouldn't believe me, but I figured that telling them the truth was the best thing to do.

"To be honest, I don't remember. I do remember getting separated from Reyna during a gryphon attack. I did make it to Epirus though, and met up with my Dad, but after that. Nothing. It's like any memory of what happened was taken away. I just remember ending up in the engine room and meeting Leo." I continued.

As soon as I mentioned my memories getting taken away, Percy and Jason winced. I guess I could understand why they would, seeing as both their memories were taken away too.

"Is that how you ended up with so many battle scars?" Hazel asked quietly. As soon as I looked at her when she said that, she blushed and looked away. "I'm sorry. That was a rude question. I also didn't mean to see them too."

I looked at everybody else, and basing on their expressions, I figured they all had seen my scars.

"It's OK." I laughed weakly. "I got rid of them."

I pulled down the collar of my shirt and showed everybody how I was scar-free for the most part.

Hazel and Frank's facial expressions looked shocked. I guess that's because they didn't know about my powers.

I began to explain all my powers and abilities to everyone. The healing one didn't really surprise those that knew me, but when I brought up the teleportation one. Boy did they freak.

"HOLY COW! YOU CAN TELEPORT ANYWHERE WHERE THERE'S LIGHT!?" Leo exclaimed. "THAT IS SO COOL!"

"Well, only within a mile radius. Any further could really tire me out." I explained. Leo still looked pretty psyched that I could teleport.

"So that's how you were able to save me huh?" Annabeth asked. She gave me a smile and I could see in her eyes that she was silently thanking me.

"Yup" I grinned.

"Thank you for that again." Percy smiled. "If you want, I'll teach you how to sword-fight during our spare time, so you can get better."

He gave me a thumbs up and winked. I knew that if Percy was gonna teach me to sword-fight, I would definitely get better.

"That would be great." I laughed. "I really need the practice."

Everybody was starting to warm up to me. I was happy that they were starting to accept me. But as I looked at Jason, he looked like something bugged him. I guess I could say the same for me too. Before I liked Jason, but now, I felt a little intimidated by him. Angry with him a bit too.

_I have to remember to ask Jason about Reyna later on._

"Well, that leaves the final question Alex." Everybody looked at Jason to see what he was gonna ask me. "Why are you here?"

I sat there and started to recite the lines in my head that I prepared a long time ago for when I was supposed to tell them why I was here.

I sighed and explained everything that had happened at Camp Half-Blood the day I got my prophecy. As I talked, I could see everyone's eyes slowly getting bigger as I laid out this new information on them.

Annabeth's eyebrows knit together and I could almost hear the gears in her head moving as she was trying to make sense of my prophecy and the Great Prophecy.

"So many things both contradict and complement each other between these two prophecies." Annabeth explained. "It seems possible that your destiny intertwines with our quest, which is why the two prophecies correlate with each other."

As she explained, everybody was listening to her every word. Usually Annabeth had the ability to get people to listen to her when she talked.

"The world is supposed to fall, but it says it rises at the same time. Does that mean Gaea will rise and we'll put her back to sleep?" Annabeth stated. "Also the part about Storm and Fire, before it meant one or the either would make Gaea fall, but now it says both of them must unite? This makes things so confusing. It's almost as if this goes against both the Oracle and the Fates."

We all sat there trying to ponder everything that Annabeth said. It was until Percy got up.

"Well, we'll have to figure this out later. For now, people should get some rest. Alex, you should take first watch with me and Leo." Percy said. "I'll teach you to sword fight too while we're at it."

Percy winked at me again, got Annabeth and headed towards her room. I could still hear Annabeth murmuring to herself about the two prophecies as she walked out with Percy.

She was right when she talked about how confusing it was.

Everybody else started to file out too, each of them giving me a good-bye and good night. Everybody left the dining room and the only ones left were Leo and me.

Leo looked nervous and started to fidget with some gears he pulled out of his tool belt.

"So Alex, I was hoping we could talk about what happened earlier." Leo asked nervously.

I flashed back to me overhearing Leo talk to himself about a crystal, an astrolabe, and island, and especially about a girl.

"Sure." I answered.

We both got up and I followed him into the dark engine room, wondering what exactly it was that he wanted to talk to me about exactly.

Either way, I was determined to help in any way that I could.


	7. Chapter 7: The Sun, Sea, and Forge

**AN: Sorry for not updating in a whole month guys! I was busy with school and family problems T_T Hopefully this chapter makes up for it hahahaha I hope you guys enjoy this chapter of mine. I will try my best to make sure I update once a week from now on. So I hope you all enjoy this one. Remember to rate and review, as well as favorite and follow this story, as they inspire me to continue writing. Thanks again for reading and enjoy! ;D**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the PJO or HoO series, Rick Riordan does.**

Leo's POV

Sitting in a dark and sort of cramped engine room with another guy wasn't exactly how I wanted to spend my night, but I definitely needed to get this overdue conversation _over_ with.

Alex sat literally five feet across from me and he seemed to look as uncomfortable as I did. I guess anybody would feel that way if they were sitting here like us not saying a word for literally ten minutes.

Awkward silence. Gotta love it.

A few hours ago I was in this very room going through my blue prints on how to install the astrolabe into Festus' guidance system, when in an almost movie cliché manner, Alex stumbled out of the darkness half-dazed and pretty confused about where he was. At first, I didn't think he had overheard me because I tend to talk out loud when I'm working. Though, with my luck, he probably did overhear it. I would have asked him right there and then, but the ship happened to be attacked so, it wasn't on the top of my priorities list at the moment. We rushed out of the engine room towards the deck of the ship to find that jerk Dylan who tossed me into the Grand Canyon and a whole bunch of his stupid cronies.

And the rest is history. Or present. I don't know.

"So, I take it you wanted to talk about whether or not I heard what you were talking about earlier before the attack?" Alex asked.

That question caught me off guard, and I immediately took my attention away from the gears I was messing with and looked Alex right in the eyes.

_Straight to the point._

"Yeah, you see, I wanted to know how much you _actually_ heard." I replied.

"Do you want the truth?" Alex kept staring back at me which kind of made me even more uncomfortable.

I'm one of those types of people that can't look someone in the eyes for more than five seconds without slightly turning away for a bit. The fact that he kept it up for a while did _not_ make things easier for me. At least he didn't have that crazy look in his eyes anymore like he did a few hours ago.

Back to important matters though.

Did I want to know the truth? If Alex knew, what would happen if he told the others and they decided that saving Calypso wasn't part of the quest and deemed it _not important enough?_

Well, it was pretty important to me, and I _promised_ her that I'd save her.

I sort of hoped that Alex didn't overhear me so I could carry out my plans to save Calypso without the others knowing.

Lying to my friends was bad, but I HAD to save Calypso. I loved her after all. And she may love me back.

That was reason enough.

"Yeah, I would." I said nervously.

I would just have to convince Alex to keep quiet about it just long enough for me to get to the island. I'd find a way to explain to everybody later.

"Then, I heard everything. About Ogygia. About that astrolabe and crystal." Alex sighed. "Even Calypso."

I felt my heart sink from my chest all the way down to my gut.

_I've got no other choice now._

"Listen, Alex, I need you to keep quiet about this. I know we're supposed to be heading to Athens and all, but I _have_ to save her." I pleaded. "I made a promise to her."

Alex gave me a look of sympathy.

"I know. I want to help you." Alex replied calmly.

"I know you're going to say its stup- wait what?" I spouted.

Alex laughed which left me pretty confused. He then gave me a big grin.

"Leo, you were one of my first friends at Camp Half-Blood, and definitely became one of my closest. I'd help you with anything." Alex kept on grinning. "If there's anything I've learned in life, it's that you gotta follow your heart, and it's telling you to go save the love of your life."

"Especially when the end of the world is coming, we all need a little more love in our lives in order to fight back the evils in our lives" Alex continued.

I was shocked by Alex's answer to be honest. Not because of the fact that he agreed to help me, but by how _mature_ his answer was. Alex seemed to have changed in the month we were all gone from Camp Half-Blood.

I remember how he stumbled upon Bunker 9 and almost got turned into a crispy camper when he tried to get near Festus before I saved his sorry butt. Before, when Jason and Piper were getting closer together, I didn't have many friends to hang out with anymore and neither did Alex. He spent his spare time with me in Bunker 9 when he wasn't in the Big House.

It felt nice to have company and someone else to pull pranks with when my other best friends were too busy being a couple.

Sure, I sound resentful, but a little glad at the same time. Because of that, Alex and I became close friends.

Most of the time I have trouble dealing with, well, _people_. It was an annoying trait I picked up from my Dad. Though only a few people made it easy for me to deal with them, and Alex was one of them. Next to Jason, he was my best friend.

I couldn't help myself from laughing together with him, and gave Alex a bro-fist.

"Thanks man." I said gratefully. "I can't wait for you to meet her either, she's seriously amazing."

"Sounds great. But, I gotta ask. What's your plan?" Alex reminded. "I heard that this island can never be found twice."

He had a point there. But I had the astrolabe, so didn't that mean my chances were a lot better?

"Well, once I hook up the astrolabe onto Festus' guidance system, I should be able to locate the island using the crystal Calypso gave me." I explained. "Using the magic energy source from this small crystal should allow me to track the original energy source, which was at Ogygia."

"The hard part I think will be trying to get her and the rest of us OFF the island once we get there." I continued. "I mean, supposedly the curse is still in effect last time I was there."

Alex's expression turned somber.

"Curse, huh?" Alex muttered. He put his hand to his forehead and his eyes went hazy. "I feel like I'm forgetting something."

_What the heck would he be trying to remember? It's not like I've ever talked to him about Calypso before. Heck, I hadn't even talked to Jason about it. _

"Well, we'll try to figure it out later. We should probably go above deck before Percy gets a little suspicious about where we've been." I advised.

That seemed to snap Alex back to reality.

"Yeah, we probably should." Alex agreed.

I got up first and extended a hand to help Alex up. Together we left the engine room and headed up above the deck. We were careful not to make a sound since the others would be sleeping for their shift.

When we arrived on deck, nobody was there.

"Where's Percy?" Alex asked.

"Dunno." I grinned. "Maybe he's too busy schmoozing Annabeth in her room."

"Yeah, well, that tends to happen when you love someone." Alex chuckled.

We both headed over to front of the ship where Festus' head would be. I opened up the back panel and began to re-wire his circuitry to allow his guidance system to become compatible with the astrolabe. Alex stared out so intently at the horizon and seemed to be watching the sun set.

That was when I remembered a tiny little detail about Alex that could make things awkward on the ship.

"Hey, so I'd hate to bring this up and ruin such a beautiful moment between you and the sea." I joked.

"First of all, shut up." Alex smirked. "Secondly, bring what up?"

"That thing about Piper." I mentioned. "What are you going to do about it?"

Alex's eyes widened. He looked away and that somber look on his face was back.

"Oh yeah." Alex murmured. He rested both his arms against the railing and stared back out at the sunset again. "I'll probably try to talk to her as soon as possible."

"You know she didn't intend t-"

"Yes Leo." Alex assured. "I know."

Alex left that final comment hanging and gave off the impression of _don't talk to me, I'm brooding._

Funny how he happened to befriend most of the people here at one point before this whole Giant business began. Though, I wonder how things were gonna go between him and Piper. The way things ended up between the two before we all departed for New Rome wasn't exactly a good one. I wonder if to this day he was still angry with her.

_I hope not. Things are gonna be awkward if he is._

It stayed quiet between the two of us. I tinkered away at Festus' control system and Alex was in his own little world. It was then Percy emerged from the door leading downstairs and walked over towards us. He had a big grin on his face.

"Hey guys, sorry for keeping you waiting." Percy explained. "I was too busy talking to Annabeth that I kinda forgot I was supposed to keep watch with you guys."

Alex and I looked at each other and we both started to snicker, especially at Percy's appearance. His hair was a lot more untidy than usual, he had a big dopey smile on his face, and his shirt was slightly wrinkled.

"Sure Percy. Talking." Alex laughed.

"If by talking, you mean smashing your faces together like you did in the stables." I added.

"Oh c'mon! That was one time!" Percy blushed. "And Hedge blew the whole thing out of proportion!"

"Someone's getting a little rebellious now that Hedge isn't here." Alex continued.

"You two are grounded!" I mimicked in a pretty decent impression of Coach.

Alex and I high-fived each other as Percy started to get annoyed and kept blushing at the same time.

"Great, I doubt either of you will let this down?" Percy face-palmed himself.

"Nope" Alex said while popping the p.

"Oh gods, am I gonna have to deal with this for the rest of my life?" Percy muttered

"Yup!" Alex and I said at the same time.

"Just fantastic." Percy groaned.

After letting Alex and I throw in a few more jokes, Percy and Alex left the boat towards the beach where they wouldn't make too much noise with their swords clanging and everything. Alex had asked me if he could borrow some tiki torches that I had planned on using for Annabeth's surprise party but didn't since Piper said they were quote on quote _tacky_. I thought the request was pretty strange, but hey, people have asked me for stranger stuff.

Despite putting together the astrolabe and Festus' guidance system, I couldn't help but feel anxious to watch this little sparring session. According to everybody from Camp Half-Blood, Percy was currently the best swordsman they had, but after seeing Alex just decimate that _venti_ army in the matter of seconds using his teleportation (or flashing as he'd like to start calling it, which I've now prepared over twenty jokes for), I was wondering how this sword fight was gonna end.

Alex had set up the six tiki torches I had given him, aligning them in a big hexagon to make it look like a wrestling ring. He lit each one and together they all illuminated a pretty big portion of the beach-side. With light on Alex's side and the ocean by Percy's, this fight looked like it was gonna be pretty epic.

Even from the ship, I could see the look on Percy and Alex's faces. They seemed excited. Which is weird because why would anybody be excited to maim the other one in a sword fight?

Then, suddenly Alex disappeared in a "flash", but Percy didn't even look the slightest worried. Alex reappeared right behind Percy and I thought the sparring session was gonna be over quickly when Percy responded so fast and was able to block Alex's side-ways slash to his back.

I had chills running down my back.

_Percy's instincts are REALLY good._

I could hear Alex chuckle, then disappear again.

This time he fell down from above Percy who was able to dodge-roll out of Alex's downward stab, and then parry his upward slash towards his chest.

"I'm gonna take it flashing isn't enough of an advantage to beat you?" I heard Alex laugh.

"Dude, you'll need a lot more than the ability to teleport to beat me this early and easily." Percy replied.

They both gave each other a cocky smirk, and this time instead of teleporting, Alex just ran straight towards Percy and the real sword fighting began.

Every blow from the other was either avoided or parried. Their blades clanged against each other and the sound rang out into the night. Neither of the two letting up in the barrage of slashes and stabs.

Percy then swiped across the ground with the flat of his blade and knocked Alex mid-air. He would have fallen on his back but disappeared before he hit the ground only to reappear almost as quickly behind Percy. Alex then slashed towards Percy's head with the flat of his blade which was almost immediately blocked by Percy.

Alex then pivoted his foot and brought his other leg around and round-house kicked Percy in the chest who immediately flew back into the water.

_Uh-oh, Percy's in the water now. This should be interesting._

"Had enough?" Alex yelled.

Then suddenly, Percy burst out of the water and flew up ten feet in the air towards Alex who looked so excited, it reminded me of a little kid on Christmas who got exactly what they wanted from Santa.

"Not done yet buddy!" Percy yelled back.

Alex brought his sword up and blocked Percy's downward slash. As he landed, they kept their swords clashed, pushing the other one back in what looked like a sword gridlock. Percy was definitely the stronger one though, because after a few seconds more, he was able to eventually push Alex back who fell backwards, only to roll around and immediately get back up, armed and ready.

"Not bad Wang!" Percy acknowledged. "Little rusty from what I remember teaching you, but not bad."

"Oh, I'm just getting started Jackson!" Alex shouted. "Get ready!"

Alex's sword fighting style changed almost immediately into what similarly looked like Jason's sword fighting style.

He would stab a lot more often the slash, sidestep Percy's sword thrusts, and parry the slashes. And he would suddenly switch back to the standard Greek fighting style taught at camp. Percy looked like he was having a bit of trouble trying to read Alex's moves because of the fact that he kept switching styles.

Eventually, Percy was able to feint Alex and twist his sword with the flat of his own, then doing a downward thrust and knocking it out of his hand.

It was at about the same time I had finished equipping the astrolabe with Festus' guidance system. I decided a break was in order and climbed down the step ladder to the side of the ship to join Alex and Percy in their conversation.

When I got there, both of the guys were sweating a lot.

We all sat down and they stuck their swords into the sand.

"Oh Hades!" Alex panted. "I-I thought I was gonna g-get you there for a second! Nice one though."

"Almost did Alex, you really put me in a jam there." Percy smirked. "Where'd you learn to fight like a Roman?"

"It was some things Reyna taught me." Alex answered. "Some other stuff I learned from watching her fight."

I couldn't help but wonder how both styles seemed deadly enough alone, but together, seemed to be an indestructible duo. It was almost like saying that Romans and Greeks didn't have to be enemies, but instead, allies. Allies who could accomplish a lot more than anything they could have done alone. Like two parts to a hot spanking war machine. Hera's plan seemed to make a lot more sense to me now that I saw this fight. Hopefully Reyna, Nico, and Coach Hedge make it back in time with the Athena Parthenos. I had a feeling that we're gonna need a lot more than eight demigods for the final battle in Athens.

"Done with your little catfight ladies?" I joked.

Both Alex and Percy glared at me, but just ended up laughing along.

"I finished repairing the circuits and guidance system in Festus. We should be able to set sail tomorrow morning." I reported.

"Speaking of sailing, are we gonna go to wherever it is that you said for that side-quest you mentioned a while ago?" Percy asked.

I froze.

Percy's mention of my little _side quest_ caught me off guard. I hadn't thought of a good enough lie this whole time, and now my whole secret was about to be blown because of my own carelessness.

_Dang it Leo, think! _

"Uh, we're supposed t- supposed to…" I stammered.

I put my hands behind my back because I could feel them burst into flame at any moment.

"Aren't we supposed to be looking for a long lost part for your Archimedes sphere?" Alex lied. "The one that you said you'd use to make even better weapons for the ship, which could prove to be _very_ useful in that final battle."

"Uh, yeah. It's supposed to um, unlock more of the hidden potential in it." I agreed.

I was starting to feel the sweat run down the back of my neck and could feel my nerves were on an all-time high.

Percy seemed to not notice.

"Oh, ok then." Percy said. "Should only take about a few days right?"

"Uh yeah, totally." I said nervously.

Percy had seemed to buy it. I looked over at Alex and gave an appreciate smile.

He then gave me that look that said _you owe me one_, then smiled back.

Suddenly, Alex brought both of his hands to the side of his head and fell down to his side, writhing in pain.

Alarmed, Percy and I got up and went to Alex's side almost immediately. He seemed to be shaking violently, almost like he was having a seizure.

"What's happening?" Percy yelled. "Alex, what's wrong?"

Every time we tried to touch him, he would jerk himself away from us.

"Pain! Lots of pain!" Alex cried "Seeing...things!"

Alex got on his knees, but kept his head bowed down. Almost like he was praying. He grabbed his hair in clumps and couldn't stop muttering to himself.

"Coming…something's coming" Alex whispered. "Run. We have to run."

Percy and I exchanged a look of fear.

"What's coming Alex?" I questioned. "What's wrong?"

Alex then jerked up immediately and looked both me and Percy in the eyes. The irises of his eyes were not their original dark color, but a bright and glowing yellow. He grabbed both Percy and my shirt collars, pulling us close.

"GAEA'S COMING!" Alex roared. "WE HAVE TO GO!"

That sight was enough to terrify me.

The three of us started towards the ship, but I didn't even get to make it ten feet until I felt a _very_ cold chill go down my back. I was sure Alex and Percy felt it too by their expressions. Suddenly, our feet sank into the sand all the way down to our ankles. It seemed to have an iron grip on the three of us and we couldn't escape.

Both Percy and Alex drew their swords. Percy had a look of anger in his eyes, and Alex's eyes had returned to their original dark color. I still didn't have a weapon with me, and I doubted pulling a hammer from my tool-belt would save me.

That chill down our spines stayed there, and before our eyes, the sand started to swirl and form a humanoid figure. It shifted itself into looking like a woman in a dress. She was beautiful, but terrifying at the same time. Her eyes were closed but she had a sleepy smile plastered on her face, like a stone statue.

It was then that we heard her ancient voice speak into our minds.

_Why hello boys, nice to see you all again._

"Gaea." Percy growled. "Why are you showing your ugly face to us now?"

_Oh, simply to make you pay. Pay for taking back the Doors of Death for the Olympians._

"What do you mean make us pay?" I demanded. "I thought we were all supposed to be your precious little pawns or something."

Gaea's small sleepy smile slowly morphed into a cruel and horrible smile. One that a psychotic killer would have before killing their victims.

_That was before, Leo Valdez. But I have now decided that you are all too much trouble to keep alive._

"But you need two demigods don't you?" Percy grunted. "Otherwise how are you going to rise on the Feast of Spes?"

_Yes, I would have preferred to have two out of the seven greatest demigods of the age be my sacrifices, but, I can make do with any other ones. Now, I have decided to get rid of all of you. But not without inflicting the worse type of suffering towards you._

Gaea's smile was getting scarier and scarier by the second.

_I will personally make sure each and every one of you will go through so much pain and suffering, you will literally throw yourselves into Death's embrace. Only then will I allow you all to die._

Gaea started to move towards Percy with that evil smile still there.

_I've already tried with you young Perseus. Remember? I had Dylan throw Annabeth off that ship. Both to cause you suffering and to bring her fear of dying alone into reality. Poor Annabeth, dying without her love would be one of the worst things she'd ever experience. _

"IF YOU HURT HER!" Percy screamed. "I'LL KILL YOU OVER AND OVER AGAIN UNTIL NOTHING EXISTS!"

Gaea just laughed at Percy's threat. It scared me though. The look in Percy's eyes were of pure hatred. Like he rejected just the idea of Gaea being in his presence that badly.

_Don't worry Perseus, I'll do more than just hurt her. I'll destroy her in mind, spirit, and body. Completely rendering her broken and beyond repair by even a primordial goddess like myself. _

Percy attempted to lunge straight at Gaea but couldn't because his feet were still buried and caught in the sand by Queen Dirt-Face. She then turned towards me and started to slowly come my way. I didn't want to be scared, so I forced myself to remember the fact that she killed my Mom, and that allowed me to be angry at her, which was better than being afraid.

_Oh Valdez, no matter how much you hide it, I can tell you're afraid. _

"Shut it Dirt-Face!" I retorted. "Before I shut it for you!"

_Such anger Leo Valdez. And you don't even know what I've done to make you suffer. Or Calypso for that matter._

I felt all the anger in my body leave quickly. All that was left was just an empty hollow feeling in my chest and gut.

"Calypso? Why would you hurt Calypso?" Percy questioned. He still looked angry, but not as much as he did before.

_Oh, you haven't told them yet boy? And here I thought they were your friends, yet you lie to them so easily._

Percy looked over at me with a confused expression. "Leo, what is she talking about?"

I looked over to Alex who seemed to give me that look that said _you've got no choice now._ Despite that, I couldn't seem to look Percy in the eye. It had taken me a while to build his trust again after the New Rome incident, and now, it was probably going to be lost again.

"I-I was on Calypso's island a few days ago." I confessed. "That side quest I told you about."

I looked Percy in the eyes.

"It was a quest to save Calypso." I continued.

I began to explain to Percy on how I landed there, and how originally I couldn't leave the island because Calypso didn't love me at all. But, slowly and surely, over the days when I tinkered away in my own little work area and she would help, she started to fall for me like I fell for her. How eventually the boat came for me, and how she kissed me and I swore on the Styx to save her.

Percy just listened to me, and even looked a little sad himself when I mentioned the part where Calypso had still loved Percy after he left and how bitter she was because the gods failed in their promise to release her.

Talking about it all brought a terrible ache in my heart. It was kind of like the gears of an old grandfather clock when it got too old. It would creak and groan, and eventually fall into pieces when it couldn't work anymore.

After I finished, I looked Gaea straight in the face. Anger surging through me.

"What are you going to do to her?" I growled.

_It's not what I'm going to do Leo Valdez. It's what I ALREADY did. _

"WHAT DID YOU DO?!" I yelled.

_I decided to make her curse much worse than it already it is. I have plagued her island with darkness and evil. Granted, she is an immortal being so she does have the power to hold off my curses, but not for long. Soon, she will be subjected to the worst things that Tartarus has to offer on her island. But, darkness does not only plague her island, but her mind as well. _

"NO!" I yelled until my voice grew hoarse and felt raw. "LEAVE HER OUT OF THIS!"

Gaea just laughed a cruel laugh. And kept her evil smile.

_You should hear her at night when she cries to herself. Muttering stupid and foolish things like "Leo will save me." Or "He'll come, he promised." So pathetic for an immortal being like herself. Of course, I added to her punishment and I've made time pass far more rapidly than it usually does. I think to her, it'll feel like a thousand years has passed so far. _

I fell down to my knees trying to process what Gaea had said.

_Can you imagine it Leo Valdez? How terrible it must be for her to go through all that alone, and how she STILL convinces herself that you'll come to the rescue. I laugh at both your pain._

"Stop it Gaea." Alex pleaded quietly. "Just stop."

Gaea turned to face Alex, and this time. She wasn't smiling.

Gaea was actually frowning.

_And you. Why are you here? You're not supposed to be here._

Both Percy and I looked at Alex, and he seemed to be shocked as well as confused.

"What are you talking about?" Alex argued. "I'm part of this quest now. I would have thought that a primordial goddess would know a little something about fate and prophecies."

_Except you aren't supposed to be. I know everything that has to do with fate and especially about this prophecy. Yet, your presence here is something completely out of what is known as destiny. This is not to be…Unless…_

Gaea started to chuckle and it eventually turned into a maniacal laugh which gave me the heebie jeebies.

_The gods have definitely pulled out a trump card. To think they would sink this low in order to preserve their thrones. No matter. This is only a small hindrance to my awakening. I'll just make sure to kill you as well. _

"Wha-what are you talking about?" Alex stammered. "Trump card?"

_Oh, is it that you don't know? Hmm, now that I sense it, I can tell that your memory has been taken by the gods. Perhaps they wished for you not to know. How cruel of them._

"Memories…" Alex murmured. "The gods took it away?"

Alex put his hand on his forehead and looked like he was struggling so hard to remember.

_Yes, they did. _

Gaea put her sandy hand so quickly up onto Alex's forehead that none of us had any time to react. A dark green flash of light came and went very quickly.

_And now, eventually you will start to remember._

Gaea began to lose her form and slowly integrate back into the sand. The grip on our feet was released and we were able to rise out of the sand.

"Wait!" Alex cried. "Why would you give me my memories back just like that!?"

As Gaea sank back into the sand, her voice still lingered in our minds.

_Perhaps because when they completely come back, I'll gain a new little pawn to play with. Farewell for now little demigods, I look forward to destroying every single one of you._

With that delightful comment said, we all eventually headed back to the ship and sat on the deck of the ship in silence for what seemed like hours. The moon was shining over our heads and it would a few more hours before sun rise.

None of us said a word to the other. Taking in everything Gaea had told us. Apparently she was going to make all of us suffer terribly before killing all of us terribly. And now there's a huge mystery surrounding why Alex was here. I couldn't help but wondering what Gaea meant by the gods pulling a trump card by using Alex and how it could be cruel. Especially the part where she said he could become an eventual pawn of hers.

"I won't become her pawn. No matter what." Alex said suddenly.

It was almost as if he read my mind. I turned to him finding that he was sitting farther away from me and Percy, near the starboard of the ship. He sat criss crossed, and was staring up at the moon. Figures since technically the moon goddess is his aunt.

"I know you won't Alex. You saved Annabeth and the rest of us." Percy replied. "I'd trust you with my life."

"Yeah, you're one of our friends." I added. "We'll stay that way too, for sure."

Alex looked back at Percy and I. The look on his face became somber.

"If I do become a traitor though." Alex said calmly. "I want you to kill me."

Both Percy and I were shocked at Alex's request. How could he just ask us to kill him like it was easy to do? Furthermore, how could he assume he'd turn evil? He was one of the nicest guys in the world. I couldn't picture any of us doing that to him anymore than him joining Gaea. It was such a foreign idea in my head.

"It will never come to that." Percy argued. "Stop talking crazy."

Alex let out a weak laugh.

"Hopefully not." Alex muttered

Alex looked at me. "So, are we gonna go save Calypso or what?"

I instantly remembered what Gaea said was happening to Calypso and knew I was gonna save her, no matter what.

I got up and looked Percy in the eye. I didn't care if he was gonna say no to saving Calypso, I was going to Ogygia, even if I had to fight him for it.

"Percy, I-" I began.

"OK." Percy interrupted.

I was shocked at his quick agreement to save her.

"Wait, really?" I asked.

"Yeah, let's go save her." Percy agreed.

I kept staring at him in disbelief.

"Leo, after you told me that story. I knew you found something worth fighting for." Percy continued. "At first, I thought it would be a bad idea, but then I thought again. That if it was Annabeth in that situation, how could I sit by and not do anything? So let's go save her."

Percy put a hand on my shoulder and gave me his signature smirk. I then felt Alex put his hand on my other shoulder and they both grinned at me. At that moment, I felt so grateful for the fact that they were both willing to help me save Calypso.

I pulled the crystal out of my pocket and memories of the island came flooding back into my mind. It glowed with a bright rainbow light and radiated warmth in my hand. I popped open Festus's guidance system and placed the crystal into the astrolabe, which lit up the whole device.

"Yes! It works!" I exclaimed. I gave both Alex and Percy a high-five.

With that done, I ran over followed by Percy and Alex to the helm of the ship, where the steering wheel was located. I turned on a small monitor I installed nearby that would act as the map and guidance system from Festus' main system. A glowing blue dot showed up which signified the location and positioning of the Argo II. And then there was a glowing red arrow which pointed North East, the same direction as Athens. That meant that Ogygia would be on the way, which was lucky for us.

"Festus, set course for Ogygia!" I commanded.

I heard a series of creaking and hissing in response.

I messed with my Wii remote, leaving the dock of the port in Epirus and started to head North East. I could feel my hands shaking with hesitation, thinking that by morning, we would arrive at Ogygia since it happened to be close by.

"Alright! Let's go save us a damsel in distress shall we?" Alex grinned.

"Yeah, it's time to make sure that the god's follow through with my wish." Percy added.

The three of us stared out into the sea, seeing the sun barely peek out of the horizon. In a matter of a few hours, I would be reunited with Calypso, and save her from Gaea's oversized evil clutches.

The Argo II left the harbor and headed straight towards Calypso's island.

_Just hold on sunshine. I'm coming to save you.  
_


	8. Chapter 8: Daughter of War

**A.N. : Hey guys, I hope you like this chapter a lot. I really enjoyed writing this one. I'd like to warn you ahead of time, this chapter will contain some strong suggestive themes meant for adults. But it's only a slight mention, so I hope nobody gets too uncomfortable about it. Please rate and review this story as well as favorite and follow it. Really helps give me the encouragement to keep writing this story. Criticism is allowed as long as it doesn't turn into flaming. Remember! Review! Rate! Follow! and Favorite! Let me know what you guys think! I'd love to hear from you all. **

Reyna's POV

The moon looked so beautiful tonight, I couldn't help but stare at its magnificence. I leaned up against a nearby tree, holding this locket that Alex had given me. It was quiet, except for the crackle of the camp-fire and the loud as well as obnoxious snoring of that fau- I mean satyr, Hedge.

Despite it all, the surroundings this night were very serene and peaceful.

We were in another clearing somewhere currently in Rome's countryside, surrounded by thick and tall trees that seemed to stretch into the sky. Our campsite was near the river-bend which followed all the way down to a lake a few hundred feet to our south. To our north was a huge mountain plain, separating two different states in Rome. We had made camp for the night because of the fact that this spot was well hidden from both the mortals and from monsters. I was taking watch while Nico and Hedge were sleeping.

There were no signs of monsters at the moment and we would have to wait until Nico was fully rested the next morning in order for us to shadow travel another few hundred miles. Each jump tired him out more and more, making each break even longer than the last.

Currently I was worried on whether or not we'd make it back in time to stop Octavian and his blood-thirsty rampage on the Greek camp. At this rate, they might get destroyed by the Legion if we don't get there in time.

I would be lying though if I said that was the only thing bothering me at the moment.

Alex hadn't contacted me at all since we had been separated.

I was worried.

For all I knew, he could be dead. It almost seemed like he was after that ambush.

Though the only reason I didn't truly believe he was dead was because of the fact that he _promised_ me he would be OK. I had grown to have faith in not only his words, but him as a person as well.

He _had_ to be OK. It was Alex. He always ended up OK.

Staring at the moon reminded me of something he once told me.

I couldn't help but remember how cheesy it sounded, but at the same time it felt so earnest and sweet.

He told me that whenever I felt lonely, all I had to do was stare out at the stars and the moon. And no matter how far we were from each other, he would be staring at the moon too. So that in a way, I wouldn't be lonely no matter the distance.

He promised he would stare at the moon every night if I did too.

Saying such impulsive stuff like that wasn't something I was used to. I used to think it was stupid of him to say such things to me, especially during a time of crisis like this huge war that was about to happen.

But still.

I couldn't help but stare at the moon like he asked me to. It actually made me feel _better._ Knowing that somewhere out there, he would be doing the same thing. That thought was comforting enough.

Did I miss him?

I couldn't miss him. I knew from the beginning that all we were ever gonna do was just travel together to Greece. Then I would leave him and take the Athena Parthenos back to New York and prevent a massacre from both camps.

Even so, I felt a terrible ache in my chest when I thought about him.

How could he have such an effect on me?

I still took his words to heart and would not wear my armor as often as I used to.

How could his words have such an effect on me?

_Beautiful, Cute, Pretty._

Those are the words he'd call me.

I wasn't supposed to be any of those things.

I'm the praetor to the Twelfth Legion Fulminata. I'm supposed to be fearless, intimidating, and most especially, a soldier. A soldier who's dedicated completely to her people. I can't afford to be any of those things.

But still…

I couldn't help but feel…_happy_ when he called me those things.

Just remembering him saying it. It made my face feel hot and I would get flustered. I would get this _longing_ feeling inside and it made me want to see him again. I've never felt this way before in a _long_ time.

Now that I think about it, I only felt this way when I would remember _Alex_ saying it.

What was with me? I don't need a man to change me. I've been perfectly fine just depending on myself. I didn't need anybody else besides my sister and my Legion.

Yet, why do I feel as if something is different. Like, _I'm_ different.

I opened the locket Alex had given me. Inside was a picture of the two of us in the middle of a town that was in the middle of nowhere. He had gotten one of those cheap cameras bought in a thrift store and happened to take a picture of us together. I was obviously surprised in the picture because the only pictures I had of myself were when I was a little girl. I hate to admit it, but you could see the red in my cheeks and the confused expression was very apparent on my face. On the other hand, Alex happened to be sporting a great big smile, and in his eyes, you could see real happiness. As if taking this picture meant the world to him.

I couldn't help but smile at the memory of this day. This was the day that I felt something changed between the two of us. I felt as close to him as my sister, and that he was one person I could truly trust.

Bringing my knees to my chest and wrapping my arms around them, I leaned my head back and began to stare at the moon once more. I closed my eyes and began to remember that day that everything changed.

For the first time in a long time, I began to remember something happy.

(Line Break: Flashback)

_Alex and I stood outside of a dingy motel room on the second floor, somewhere in small town within the Western coast of Rome. We had finally made it this far after travelling on a small fishing boat for about a week. The fisherman were kind enough to allow us a ride after Alex had created some bizarre story which involved escaping a group of mobsters, the Queen of England, and a rocket ship. Strangely, the mortals bought the story. I couldn't help but think the gods had some hand in helping us convince these fisherman. _

_Behind the motel was a forest, where I left Scipio to roam free until the next morning. That was what we usually looked for when Alex and I would try and stay at motels for the night. Coincidentally, the bad smell of mortals at every motel we stayed at was enough to mask our scent which let us have a good night's rest almost every night. _

_I had to give it to Alex, he was very smart about how he got us the keys to each motel room that we stayed at. Apparently he used to do this with his mother when they were homeless during his childhood. She figured it was better to stay in a motel room just for the two of them instead of a homeless shelter where there was the possibility of crazy people hurting him._

_The excuse he used to the employee behind the desk this time was that we were both runaways from an abusive foster family and that we needed a night to stay. This employee was a nice woman in her forties with short, brown and curly hair. She had a round face, but still looked very pretty for her age. Her eyes were big and brown and had the look of a caring mother in them. She seemed to believe our story and let us have the keys to a room for one night. _

_Thanks the gods for that. I don't think I could have had it in me to steal the keys from this woman the way we usually would if they wouldn't let us stay the night._

_After a few seconds of jiggling the keys into the lock, the door finally opened and a stale smell of lemons and soap filled the air. I turned on the lights and Alex almost immediately threw his backpack to the side and jumped into the closest bed, grabbing a pillow and covering his face._

"_Oh my gods finally! Now I can sleep." Alex said through a muffled voice behind the pillow._

_I closed the door behind us and walked over to my own bed and placed my backpack besides the wall closest to me. I pulled out a map and studied our progress so far._

"_So far at the pace we're going, we should reach Croatia in about five days. This is good. We're going to make good time."_

_It was gonna be in five days until I would hopefully get to see Jason and the others at Croatia. I had a feeling he would be there. We made a pact a long time ago to go there if we could. _

_I could feel my heart racing slightly when I thought about the fact that I could get to see him soon. _

_At the same time though, I felt a sense of dread when I remembered the fact that he had a girlfriend. _

_A girlfriend from the Greek camp no less. As if it didn't make it hurt any more than it already did. _

_Bitterness swelled up within me. _

_I had to remind myself to push away those thoughts. I still needed to get the Athena Parthenos for Annabeth and prevent war from both of our camps. I couldn't let my anger towards the Greek camp stop me from doing what was right._

_I clenched my fists, knuckles turning white against my skin. I bit my lower lip trying to think about something else. I could feel my hands trembling._

_It was then that I felt a hand grab my own._

_I looked up and saw Alex staring at me. His eyes filled with concern. _

"_Reyna, everything will turn out fine." Alex murmured._

_Immediately I felt my anger and bitterness drain out of my body. But instead of feeling hollow, I felt reassured. _

_It was strange, the effect Alex had on me. It was these simple words he spoke that would make me feel better. It was almost as if he could read my mind and know what was wrong. I didn't know how he did it, but it made me glad he was there. _

_As soon as the trembling stopped, Alex gave me a smile._

_I felt my heart do a somersault when he looked at me like that. _

"_So, how long are you gonna hold my hand Reyna?" Alex teased._

_I immediately looked down and saw that both my hands held onto Alex's hand. It was as if subconsciously I put my other hand on top. I immediately pulled away and I could feel a blush come onto my face._

"_Sorry." I said quickly. _

"_It's alright." Alex laughed. "I don't mind when a pretty girl holds my hand."_

_I could feel my face turn even redder. _

_There he goes again calling me pretty. Why does he do that? I really wanted to know whether or not if he was joking all the time, because that would be cruel if he truly did not mean it._

_But, it felt like he did. He said every compliment with such sincerity, I couldn't help but feel he really did think I was beautiful. _

_I wasn't used to this. No one had ever called me beautiful besides Hylla. And that was when we were only children. I mean, boys in the Legion have complimented me before I became praetor, saying I was pretty or cute. I usually always brushed it off though. It never felt sincere coming from them. _

_But Alex made it feel like he really did think I was pretty. It felt nice for once. To genuinely be complimented. _

"_Why are you staring at me? Do I have something on my face?" Alex asked. He had a confused expression on his face and began touching it with his hands, scanning for anything off. _

_I didn't even know I was staring at him. Staring at his dark brown eyes, which made me think of hot chocolate. They were warm, and filled with life. He had jet-black hair which was short, but untidy at the same time. His smile seemed to radiate, like the sun, when he smiled. It would usually bring a smile to my face when I saw him smile. _

"_Yes, you had the look of an idiot on your face." I joked._

_Alex mocked a very dramatic interpretation of someone being stabbed in the heart._

"_Aw Princess! Thy words pierce my soul like daggers." Alex sarcastically whined._

_He gave me a wink and I gave him a soft punch in the arm after rolling my eyes, and we both managed to laugh. That was something else I appreciated about Alex. He was always able to make me laugh. His little nickname for me at first was annoying, but I actually grew to kind of like it. It seemed like it was something intimate and exclusive between the two of us. I would have to figure out a nickname for him as well. To return the favor of course. _

_Alex got up and headed towards the door._

"_Where are you going?" I asked._

_He turned his head towards me and grinned._

"_Well, with the money I managed to get, I'm gonna go buy us some dinner. Be back soon." Alex winked, waved goodbye, and left the room. _

_With that said, I decided to shower. After flying on Scipio for almost ten hours and having to fight ambush after ambush of monsters, I could use a shower. _

_It felt nice to be able to get a hot shower every night._

_I stayed in there for about half an hour, and eventually as well as reluctantly, I got out and changed. I put on another purple Camp Jupiter t-shirt and slipped on a pair of jeans and some sneakers. _

_I stared at myself in the mirror and was going to braid my hair the way I always had, but stopped._

_I looked at the way my hair looked like when it was unbraided. It cascaded down to my upper back, straight and dark. M y bangs hung over my forehead and were swept to the side. It reminded me of Hylla back in San Juan, and I thought she looked beautiful. I wondered if I looked the same. _

_I also wondered if Alex would think my hair looked pretty the way it was now._

_I felt my face flush at the thought of Alex. _

_It was strange thinking that way._

_Suddenly, I heard a loud crash outside. Immediately I ran to the door, grabbing my knife in the process. I leaned up against the door, putting my ear against it. I attempted to hear what was going on when I heard a loud growl, and the sound of something being thrown again which led to another crash. _

_I gripped the doorknob and felt a cold bead of sweat run down the back of my neck._

_I wrenched the door open and I stood frozen in shock. _

_I saw in the parking lot Alex standing next to a flickering light pole, the only one that happened to be working. He was being surrounded by three very large, and very terrifying hellhounds. _

_And what's worst, Alex was wounded. He had a large claw and scratch marks over his chest and arms, with bruises all over his face and a big cut running down from his right temple to his chin. He literally looked like he was a chew toy for these hellhounds. _

_Instinctively, I hopped onto the railing of the second floor, and I jumped at least twenty feet in the air towards the closest hellhound. I landed right on its back and plunged my Imperial Gold dagger hilt-deep right through its skull. The hellhound immediately dissolved into a pool of darkness, and I ran towards Alex._

"_Alex! Are you OK?" I cried. _

_Alex looked even paler up close, sweat dripping down his forehead, and he was breathing hard._

"_I'm alright. Just a couple of scratches." Alex laughed weakly._

_The hellhounds growled even louder. They apparently weren't happy I just killed one of its kind. The hellhound to our right leaped right at us and Alex immediately grabbed my arm and pulled me to the side. He swung Rising Sun in an upward arc and cut right through the hellhounds head, turning that one into a puddle of black. The other hellhound ran at frightening speeds to us, but I was already prepared for that. I allowed him to jump right at me while I ducked. I thrust my dagger right above me as the hellhound soared past me, cutting right through its diaphragm. It fell to the floor beside Alex and I, and it too was reduced to nothing but darkness, effectively sending this mutt back to Tartarus where it belonged. _

_I heard a clang behind me and saw that Alex fell to his knees, sword laid down beside him. He was even paler and his breathed became ragged and shallow. I sheathed my knife and got down onto my knees as well, examining Alex._

_It was then I noticed on the palm of his hand, was a puncture wound. But it became swollen and green. Was it poison? _

"_Alex, what happened? How'd you get this?" I held up his palm so he could see, but his eyes were slightly glossed over._

"_Uh…some scorpion…came out of nowhere." He looked like he was struggling to remember. He then looked up at me. "It uh, stung me. I started to feel weird, and…that's when the hellhounds came."_

"_Well, do you think you can heal it?" I asked._

_He kept staring me in the eyes, not saying a word._

"_Alex! Snap out of it!" I snapped my fingers in front of him._

_He shook his head, and his eyes began to focus again._

"_I, uh, don't think I can." Alex mumbled. "I already tried, but, um, the poison seems to prevent me from healing."_

_I could feel my stomach drop when he said that._

_Right away, I took his arm and put it over my shoulder, helping him get back on his feet._

"_C'mon then, I still have some ambrosia and nectar in my pack, if we get some in ti-" I was suddenly interrupted when Alex pushed me away from him. _

_I almost fell on my back, but managed to catch myself. Suddenly, I saw a huge black mass tackle Alex and they both flew back ten feet into a random car. They both crashed onto the hood of the car, causing the alarm to go off. I almost screamed, but I was too shocked by what happened._

_Alex had pushed me out of the way because a fourth hellhound had appeared out of nowhere. If he hadn't done that, I would have had my head bitten right off. I saw the hellhound had its teeth buried into Alex's left arm, and Alex struggling to keep it from ripping it out of its socket._

"_NO!" I screamed._

_My vision turned red and I threw my dagger with deadly precision. It flew and landed right in the eye of the hellhound. It immediately let go of Alex's arm, and he took that opportunity to use his good arm to grab the dagger, pull it out, and stab it once more right through the head. It melted into darkness, leaving Alex dying on top of a car. _

_I ran to him as fast as I could. I put my ear on his chest to hear his heartbeat. It was faint, but still there. _

_I managed to drag him back into our motel room before anybody noticed. I laid him down in his bed, and started doing emergency first-aid on him. I cleaned his cuts with nectar, but there were so many, I couldn't cover them all. The puncture wounds from the hellhound bite were still there as well as the one from the scorpion. I fed him as much ambrosia as I could, until he literally started to have steam roll off his body. I bandaged his other cuts, hoping it would naturally heal. _

_I did everything I could. I didn't want him to die._

_After all that, I just gripped his hand with both of mine. And I placed my head on his chest, feeling the rise and descent of his breathing. I prayed to my mother and his father to help him. I prayed to every god out there. Even the Greek ones. _

_Tears started to form. I hadn't cried ever since San Juan. Ever since "that night". _

_I always forced myself to stay strong. To never show weakness. To become hardened._

_But now, I didn't care about any of that. After travelling together for a few weeks, Alex had definitely wormed his way into my life. He became a big part of it. He became the first "real" friend I had in a long time. _

_I just wanted him to live._

_Suddenly, I felt a hand gently place itself against the cheek of my face. _

_I looked up, and found Alex smiling faintly at me. The color in his face had slightly returned, but his eyes had their strength again. _

_I knew he'd be OK._

"_Hey there Princess. Are you crying over a little old me?" Alex whispered._

_I wiped the tears from my eyes. A small smile forming on my lips._

"_No, I was just thinking about how much Scipio would miss you if you were gone." I mumbled. "He's grown very fond of you these past few weeks."_

_Alex laughed softly, stroking my cheek with his thumb._

"_Well, I wouldn't want to leave him now, would I?" Alex brushed a stray hair and tucked it behind my ear. "Your hair looks beautiful like that, did you know?"_

_Ugh. He can still manage to make comments like that, even when he was just dying a little while ago. But still, I felt the blush come back on my cheeks. _

_But this time, I didn't feel embarrassed at all. I felt genuinely happy._

"_Thank you." I muttered._

_He gave me a dorky grin, and what happened next, I never predicted would have happened with anybody else or in a million years._

"_Reyna Avila Ramirez-Arellano." I said softly._

_Alex's eyes widened. He opened his mouth, but closed it right away._

_I didn't know if it was because we had grown closer throughout our travels, or because he was dying just a while ago. But I finally felt comfortable talking about my past. I had grown to trust Alex throughout the days. I appreciated the fact that after that night that he told me about his past, he never once brought up or bugged me about revealing my own. He respected my wishes, and now I felt he deserved to reap the reward for being patient with me all this time._

"_That's my whole name." I took his hand and subconsciously intertwined my fingers with his. His hand felt warm and comforting. "That was the name I had back in my hometown of San Juan, Puerto Rico."_

"_Reyna, you don't have t-" Alex started._

"_No. It's OK Alex. I want to tell you." I interrupted. "I finally feel comfortable enough to tell you. You deserve it."_

_Alex sat up and scooted over in the bed. For some reason, I ended up sitting in there with him. The sheets were on our laps and we sat side by side, still holding hands and I placed my head on his shoulder. I felt comfortable and at peace._

"_I was born and raised in the capital of Puerto Rico, which is San Juan." I began. It was a weird feeling, letting somebody in. But I knew I could not stop. "My father was a Captain for the Puerto Rico National Guard, which is how he attracted the attention of my mother, Bellona, twice. That's how my father was capable of having both me and my older sister Hylla."_

_Alex kept up a dorky grin as I talked, seemingly forgetting all his injuries. _

"_Because he was a soldier, my father was never home much. Hylla pretty much raised me most of the time, but I was OK with that. We were both happy with our lives." I continued. "Monsters rarely ever attacked us, so our lives were peaceful for the most part. We would both go to school and come home safely. I had many friends as a child, and Hylla was very popular among everybody. I think she had at least three guys confess to her every day."_

"_Wow, I gotta meet your sister." Alex laughed._

_I gave him a glare, and he shut up. So I continued with my story._

"_Now here's an embarrassing part. Promise not to laugh?" I asked._

"_I promise." Alex crossed his heart._

"_As a child, I admired Hylla so much. She was famous around our city for one thing. She was an amazing dancer, and she would take me with her to her practices all the time. With her, I learned how to dance. At first, I didn't like it. But after a while, I grew a passion towards it. I practiced with her every day. And from then on, it became my dream to become a dancer." I explained. "I learned all kinds of traditional dancing with my sister. I learned Merengue, Salsa, Cha-Cha, and etc. Even to this day, I still wish to be a dancer when I grow up." _

_Alex had a big smile on his face, trying to keep in the laughter. Eventually he couldn't hold it in and let out a loud, hardy laugh. _

"_Stop laughing! Or do you want me to break your arm?" I threatened. _

"_Sorry!" Alex chuckled. "It's just. I never would have expected that from you."_

"_Well, I guess there's a lot you don't know about me." I murmured. I looked away from him. I felt a little embarrassed that I told him my childhood dreams. _

"_Hmm, now that I think about it." Alex reached out and turned my face back to him. "I think you would be an amazing dancer."_

_I felt happy that he supported my dream. It made me feel like it wasn't something stupid like other people used to tell me as a child. _

"_Now, continue please." Alex gestured for me to go on._

_I breathed in and let out a heavy sigh. Now comes the tough part._

"_To be honest, the only happy times in my childhood were when my father wasn't home. But…" I shuddered remembering. "But when he did come home, my life would turn into a living Hades."_

_Alex remained quiet and his expression changed into a grave one._

"_You see, Hylla was six years older than me, so she couldn't always take me wherever she went. There were days when it was just me and my father." I said quietly. "I won't lie, he would be drunk and angry all the time. He would…well, he would abuse me. Plain and simple."_

_Alex's grip on my hand tightened in a protective manner. It gave me the strength to continue. If he weren't here, just remembering this part of my life would have terrified me._

"_This was life for me for almost ten years. I would cower in my room, hiding in either the closet or under the bed. Praying that my father wouldn't find me." I placed my right hand on Alex's right arm and squeezed it tightly. "I would run away so many times, but he'd always find me. I can still to this day, remember the smell of alcohol on his breath and the crazed look in his eyes. I never told Hylla either. I was afraid that if I did, my father would actually kill me and possibly her as well."_

_In Alex's eyes, I could see he was angry. Angrier than I had ever seen him._

"_One day in particular, my father had abused me to the point in which I could not stand. Hylla happened to come home early that day. When she saw what happened, she got so angry, she tried to fight my father. But he was much stronger than she was." I frowned and could feel tears coming. It was painful to remember. "I remember specifically, he held her down and started to rip her clothes apart. I remember him yelling about how much she looked like our mother. At that young age, I didn't understand what he was doing or what he meant."_

"_No." Alex whispered. "He wouldn't try t-"_

"_He tried to." I interrupted. The memories were swelling back and I remembered everything so clearly._

_I remember him striking Hylla repeatedly. Cackling about the wicked deeds he was going to do. I remember feeling angry and scared for her. I couldn't let father hurt her. He was going to kill her. I remember my vision turning red. I remember grabbing the nearest kitchen knife…_

_I remember plunging that knife into his back, straight into his heart._

_I remember the blood gushing out, and him staring at me in absolute shock, then falling to the floor. His expression never changing as he laid there dead._

_I remember the blood all over me and my hands._

_I remember Hylla grabbing me and all of our clothes, and fleeing San Juan. Never turning back._

_I looked Alex dead in the eyes._

"_I killed my father with my own two hands." I said flatly. "I killed him to save my sister."_

_As I said those words. I started to cry. This was the first time that I had ever actually confessed to killing my own father. _

_Alex let go of my hand and for a second, I was scared that he was disgusted with me. I didn't want him to be. But that thought immediately went away when he hugged me tightly and ferociously. I buried my face against his chest, and cried. I felt tremors running through my body._

_This was the first time I ever allowed myself to just let it all out. And I was glad he was the one I let it all out with. He just stroked my hair and kept muttering sweet words. After all that, I just dully explained what happened to Hylla and me after San Juan. With Circe's island, pirates, and eventually separating._

_Alex and I had stayed like that the whole night, and eventually fell asleep with each other in our arms. I remember waking up once during the night and stared at him sleeping for a bit. His eyes were shut so tightly, and he had a small smile. It was like he was having a happy dream. He looked so peaceful. I didn't even realize that our foreheads were touching. I smiled and thought about how nice this was, eventually falling back to sleep. _

_But it wasn't before I did something that I didn't think I would have ever done. I gave him a small kiss on the cheek. But I could feel this powerful feeling inside that made me want kiss him for real. I held it back though, not wanting to ruin this moment. _

_The next morning, the nice woman that had given us the room key came in, apparently surprised to find us together like that. _

_I felt so embarrassed. But Alex, the dork, kept laughing about it._

_Alex and I both showered at separate times, packed our stuff up, and headed for the forest where Scipio would be waiting for us. _

_We walked through the forest trail, very close together. We weren't saying a word. Alex seemed to heal completely after a good night's rest and was feeling much better. _

_Alex then broke the silence with a single comment._

"_You kissed me on the cheek last night, didn't you?" Alex mentioned. _

_I immediately stopped in my tracks and I could feel my cheeks flush._

"_Wha-what are you talking about?" I stammered. _

_Alex turned around and faced me._

"_I was awake when you did that. I remember specifically." Alex pointed out. "I remember because I felt very happy. I felt happy that somebody as beautiful as you wanted to kiss me."_

_I opened my mouth to try and get myself out of this situation, but nothing came out. Alex surprised me with his, well, smooth line. I started to feel flustered._

"_O-oh." I mumbled. _

_Alex turned back around started to walk ahead of me._

_I stayed where I was, taking in what he said._

_He was happy that I kissed him. Did that mean he liked me? Why do I feel so…happy?_

_Suddenly, a flash came and went quickly right beside me_

_I felt a hand slip into mine, and I turned to see Alex was standing right next to me, smiling that smile that gave me butterflies._

"_Hurry Princess, don't want to keep your noble steed waiting." Alex advised._

_I felt a small smile form._

"_OK." I replied._

_We walked the rest of the trail to a clearing where Scipio was waiting for us._

_And we didn't let go of the other's hand the entire time._

(Line Break: End of Flashback)

I opened my eyes and stared at the moon once more. The locket still in my hand.

Remembering all that confirmed one thing.

I missed him. Terribly.

And now, he was nowhere to be found. I hoped to all the gods that he was still alive and safe. Despite all these complicated feelings, I knew I still wanted to see him. He was the first real friend I had in a long time, and I could never replace him. I hoped that after this war was over, I'll be able to figure out about how I truly felt, and be able to finally find peace once again.

He deserved that much.

I held the locket and opened it once more. I stared at the picture and I could feel sadness within me.

"Oh Alex, I wish I knew where you were." I muttered.

"Oh. I'm on the Argo II" a voice spoke.

I immediately closed the locket and put it back down my shirt. Right in front of me, was what looked like an Iris Message, and inside the rainbow mist was Alex.

There he was. He looked completely OK, which was great considering how much of a mess he was after we had been separated. His short and untidy black hair had grown a bit longer and shaggier. It made him look a little wilder, but sort of attractive too. And his dark brown eyes still had that life and warmth in them. My heart was doing somersaults when I saw him again, but I had to force the feeling away and talk to him properly.

Despite being happy seeing him. I could feel the grief, worry, and sadness bubbling up and boiling inside of me.

"Alex! Where in Hades have you been this entire time!?" I yelled. "We've been separated for three days and you don't even think to contact me this whole time?!"

Alex laughed his incredibly endearing laugh and I felt a little less upset with him. He held his hands up.

"Oh Reyna, I forgot how cute you are when you get mad." Alex teased.

I could feel the anger and worry melt away. But I wasn't going to let him off the hook that easily.

"Flattery will get you nowhere." I retorted. "Now spit it out."

Alex's grin slowly faded and his face had a sullen expression.

"Ah well, you see, my memories seem to have been taken." Alex revealed. "I can only remember as far as that ambush that separated us. Anything beyond that is gone. I just remember finding myself in the engine room of the Argo II literally earlier today."

His memories were taken? I wonder what happened to him.

"How's the progress on bringing the Athena Parthenos back to Camp Half-Blood?" Alex tilted his head to the side the way a child would when they were confused.

I thought he looked silly like that, but it eventually became a cute little quirk of his.

"We're still in Rome at the moment. But based on our progress, I'd say we have about week before we get it back to your camp." I estimated. "How about you on your end?"

"Ah, well, I've learned some interesting things." Alex laughed weakly.

He began to explain to me about a visit he, Percy, and Leo had gotten from the Earth Mother, Gaea. What he said troubled me a bit. What game were the gods playing at? Alex is a trump card? He could possibly become a traitor?

Alex seemed to notice my worry, and spoke up.

"Hey, don't worry about me. Things will turn out fine. I promised you that, remember?" Alex assured.

Even with this shocking news, I believed Alex when he said things would be OK. I could never picture him becoming a traitor. And I knew no matter what the gods planned for him, that he would be able to overcome it. He was a strong person, and if anybody could do it, he could.

"Well, I gotta go. We'll be approaching Ogygia in a bit." Alex smiled.

A part of me didn't want him to go. I wished we could still talk. I honestly wished he was here with me now. But I knew that he had to go to help save the world.

"OK. Goodby-" I caught myself. "Oh yeah, I forgot. You hate goodbyes."

Alex laughed and it made me laugh along with him. I felt more at ease because of that.

"Yeah, you are right. I do hate goodbyes." Alex reminded.

"Why is that?" I asked. That was one thing I was curious about Alex.

He gave me a mischievous smile.

"I'll tell you one day." Alex winked. "I promise."

I knew that was probably the best that I could get from him at the moment. He promised he would tell me one day, so I would just have to wait until that day came.

"OK, I'll see you soon." I said quietly.

He smiled one last time and gave me a wave goodbye.

"I'll see you soon." Alex said softly.

The rainbow mist disappeared along with Alex in it.

I grasped the locket against my shirt and hoped he would be able to tell me one day.

It was then that Hedge woke up, and started to stretch.

"That was a great nap!" Coach Hedge said loudly. He turned towards me. "Your turn to sleep kiddo! I'll take watch for the rest of the night."

He then picked up his bat and started to walk around the campsite.

I grabbed my own sleeping bag and laid down against it. Sleep crept up on me and I could feel my eyes getting heavy. Eventually they closed and I fell asleep. But not without one last little prayer.

_Be safe Alex. You promised me. _


End file.
